tntf)e(£ttpoflettigork 


LIBRARY 


THE 


Border  0V  i 


FOLLOWED  BY  A  HISTORY 


CLAN  DICKSON 


A   BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  FAMILY  OF  THE  AUTHOR, 


,  K.  I  L. 


PRINTED   ORIGINALLY    FOR    PRESENTATION    ONLY    AND    NOW    ENLARGED. 


Ai^BANY,  N.  Y.: 

JOEI.  MUNSELL'S  SONS    PURI^TSHERS. 

18S9. 


Copyrighted  by 
JOEL  MUNSELL'S  SONS,  Albany,  N.  Y. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 


Note v 

The  Border  Clans 1-108 

Landed  Titles 109 

The  Clan  Dickson 113 

Families 134 

Members  of  Parliament 171 

Arms 172 

Homer  Dixon  Family 183 

Index  to  Clans  and  Surnames 221 

Errata 224 


NOTE. 


The  first  edition  of  this  little  work  was  privately 
printed  for  the  writer's  own  family  and  friends  only, 
but  as  several  applications  were  made  for  copies  this 
enlarged  edition  has  been  placed  in  the  publisher's 
hands. 

Not  having  been  originally  intended  for  publica- 
tion several  extracts  were  made  without  preserving 
the  names  of  the  authorities,  which  the  general  reader 
will  not  require,  but,  as  the  dates  have  been  generally 
given,  the  critical  reader  will  find  no  dif^culty  in  veri- 
fying my  statements. 


THE  BORDER  CLANS. 


By  the  word  "clans"  is  generally  if  not  almost 
universally  understood  those  of  the  Scottish  High- 
lands, few  being  aware  how  important  a  part  our 
clans  played  during  the  Middle  Ages,  and  I  trust, 
therefore,  this  little  treatise  concerning  the  Border, 
Riding  or  Foraying  clans,  Dalesmen,  Marchmen  or 
Borderers,  as  they  were  variously  styled,  may  not 
prove  uninteresting,  as  they  have  too  long  been 
viewed  through  nineteenth  century  spectacles,  and 
have,  moreover,  been  generally  confounded  with  the 
Batablers  or  Baitablers,  as  the  English  called  them, 
or  freebooters  of  the  Debateable  Lands,*  whose 
hands  were  against  every  man  and  every  man's  hands 
were  against  them.  These  frontier  rievers,  who  in 
Scottish  legal  documents  were  generally  called  bor- 
dour  men  or  broken  men,  acquired  also  about  the 
time  of  James  the  First  (1406-1437)  the  name  of 
Mosstroopers,  from  their  living  in  the  mosses  of  the 
country. 

Previous  to  the  union  of  the  crowns  in  1603,  the 
borders   and   the  highlands  were   in  a  state   totally 

*  In  a  document  of  A.  D.  1588,  these  are  styled  "sumtyme  callit 
Debettable." 


2  The  Border  Clans. 

different  from  the  rest  of  Scotland  and  were  subjected 
to  laws  different  from  the  remainder  of  the  kingdom. 
The  feudal  system,  which  formed  the  principal  ground- 
work of  ancient  law,  both  civil  and  criminal,  had  in 
those  districts  a  comparatively  imperfect  influence. 
The  inhabitants  were  divided  into  surnames  or  clans, 
who  acknowledged  no  supremacy  saving  that  of  their 
chief,  chieftain  or  head  of  their  name,  who  might 
often  be  a  person  entirely  different  from  their  feudal 
superior  or  over-lord  as  he  was  called  in  Scottish  law. 

The  border  clans  have  usually  been  considered  as 
little  better  than  common  thieves,  none  apparently 
reflecting  that  the  actual  state  of  both  England  and 
Scotland  was  with  brief  exemptions  one  of  chronic 
petty  warfare,  nor  upon  the  general  state  of  society 
in  those  days  when  the  Bible  and  other  books  were 
almost  unknown,  for  the  first  printing  press  in  Lon- 
don was  only  set  up  in  1476,  and  printing  was  not 
introduced  into  Scotland  until  1501. 

Copies  of  the  English  Bible  found  their  way  into 
Scotland,  however,  and  were  of  great  service  in  pro- 
moting and  establishing  the  reformed  doctrines,  and 
in  1543,  four  years  before  Cranmer's  Reformation 
was  completed  in  England,  Lord  Robert  Maxwell 
submitted  to  parliament  a  bill  making  it  lawful  for 
all  "  our  Soverane  Ladyis  lieges  to  possess  and  read 
copies  of  the  Bible  in  Scotch  or  English."  It  was  of 
course  opposed  by  the  bishops,  but  was  nevertheless 
sanctioned  by  parliament,  and  some  years  after  a 
license  to  print  "ye   Inglis   Bybill "  was  granted  in 


The  Border  Clans.  3 

1568,  but  the  translation  was  not  issued  until  1579, 
when  it  was  enacted  by  parliament  that  each  house- 
holder worth  three  hundred  marks  of  yearly  rent  and 
all  substanteous  yeomen  and  burgesses  esteemed  as 
worth  five  hundred  pounds  in  land  and  goods  should 
have  a  Bible  and  psalm-book  in  the  vulgar  tongue 
under  the  penalty  of  ten  pounds. 

Manuscript  newsletters  were  ushered  in  in  London 
in  the  fifteenth  century,  followed  in  the  next  century 
by  the  printed  news  book.  These,  however,  were 
but  little  known  beyond  the  large  cities,  and  the  first 
newspaper  did  not  appear  in  England  until  after  the 
union  and  in  Scotland  until  the  Caledonian  Mercury 
was  issued  in  1660. 

William  Barlow,  Bishop  of  St.  Asaph's,  English 
Ambassador  in  Scotland,  complained  to  Cromwell, 
Lord  Privy  Seal,  of  the  state  of  the  English  borders, 
and  gave  a  very  similar  apology  for  his  own  country- 
men. The  abstract  of  his  letter  in  Thorpe's  State 
Papers  is  as  follows  : 

"  Berwick,  Feb.  10,  1535."  "  A  long  letter,  on  the 
miserable  misorder,  ruinous  decay  and  intolerable 
calamity  of  His  Grace's"^  subjects  on  the  borders; 
there  is  no  knowledge  of  Christ's  gospel,  although 
there  are  plenty  of  priests,  multitudes  of  monks  and 
flocking  companies  of  friars." f 

*The  King,  Henry  VIII,  was  then  styled  "His  Grace." 
tThis  letter  was  written  one  year  after  the  English  Parliament 
established  the  King  as  Supreme  Head  of  the  Church,  thus  sweep- 
ing away  the  papal  headship. 


4  The  Border  Clans. 

Ignorance  was  so  profound  in  the  Dark  Ages  that 
even  among  the  priests  and  monks,  who  were  sup- 
posed to  be  educated,  nearly  all  of  them  said  by  rote 
the  services  they  had  learned  by  heart,  and  it  has  been 
computed  that  there  were  not  more  than  one  or  two 
at  the  outside,  in  every  thoitsand,  who  were  capable 
both  of  reading  and  writing.  Of  course  there  were 
exceptional  cases  of  students  fond  of  learning,  but 
they  were  of  comparatively  rare  occurrence.  It  is 
true  there  were  burgh  schools  at  Perth,  Stirling  and 
Roxburgh  at  a  very  early  period,  and  a  convent  school 
at  the  latter  place  in  the  time  of  Malcolm  IV  (1153- 
1165),  and  there  was  a  village  school  at  Norham-on- 
Tweed  in  the  twelfth  century,  but  probably  they  were 
frequented  principally  by  the  children  of  the  trades 
people,  who  had  to  keep  some  accounts,  and  but  by 
few  of  them.  As  there  were  then  no  printed  books, 
the  education  given  must  have  been  very  limited. 

In  1494,  parliament  ordained  through  all  the  realm 
that  all  barons  and  substantial  freeholders,"^"  put  their 
eldest  sons  and  heirs  to  the  schools  at  the  age  of  six, 
or  at  the  utmost  nine  years  ;  who  are  to  remain  at 
the  grammar  schools  till  they  have  a  competent 
foundation  and  skill  in  Latin.  After  which  they  are 
to  study  three  years  in  the  schools  of  arts  and  laws  ; 
so  that  they  may  have  knowledge  in  the  laws,  and 
by  this  means  justice  be  distributed  throughout  all 
the  realm ;  those  who  become  sheriffs  or  judges 
ordinary,  having  proper  understanding,  and  the  poor 

*  Probably  signifying  freeholders  in  towns,  not  barons. 


The  Boj'der  Clans.  5 

being  under  no  necessity  of  recourse  to  high  courts 
for  every  small  injury. 

This  statute  seems  not  to  have  extended  to  the 
lords  and  earls  whose  profession  was  arms  and  hunt- 
ing alone ! 

In  England,  as  Speed  informs  us,  there  were 
30,000  studying  in  the  university  of  Oxford  alone, 
but  Hume  says  "What  was  the  occupation  of  these 
young  men  ?  To  learn  bad  Latin  and  still  worse 
logic,"  and  that  Hume  was  not  speaking  without 
reason  is  shown  by  Platina,  librarian  of  the  Vatican 
(which  then  contained  2,500  volumes),  who  died  in 
1 48 1,  who  says  of  the  notaries  or  the  prothonotary  of 
the  city  of  Rome  itself,  whose  office  it  was  to  commit 
to  writing  all  memorable  occurrences  belonging  to 
the  church,  "  But  in  our  age  most  of  them  (not  to 
say  all)  are  so  ignorant  that  they  are  scarcely  able  to 
write  their  own  names  in  Latin,  much  less  to  trans- 
mit the  actions  of  others." 

Even  as  late  as  the  Reformation  such  was  the  want 
of  knowledge  in  England  that  Bishop  Hooper,  in 
1550,  found  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight,  or  more 
than  half  of  his  clergy  in  the  diocese  of  Gloucester, 
who  could  not  repeat  the  ten  commandments ;  forty 
who  could  not  tell  when  the  Lord's  prayer  was 
written  and  thirty-one  of  them  ignorant  who  was 
its  author ! 

These  were  priests  who  had  just  come  out  of  the 
church  of  Rome,  and  the  case  was  no  better  in  Scot- 
land, for  only  a  few  years  previously  (in   1538)  the 


6  The  Border  Clans. 

Bishop  of  Dunkeld  having  cited  Dean  Forrest,  Vicar 
of  Dolour,  to  appear  before  him  for  the  heinous  crime 
of  "preaching  every  Sunday  to  his  parishoners  upon 
the  epistles  and  gospels  of  the  day,"  he  desired  him 
to  forbear  "seeing  his  diligence  that  way  brought 
him  in  suspicion  of  heresie."  If  he  could  find  2.  good 
gospel  or  a  good  epistle,  that  made  for  the  liberty  of 
the  holy  church,  the  bishop  willed  him  to  preach  that 
to  his  people  and  let  the  rest  be.  The  dean  reply- 
ing "  That  he  had  read  both  the  new  testament  and 
the  old  and  that  he  had  never  found  an  ill  epistle 
or  an  ill  gospel  in  any  of  them  ;"  the  bishop  said  "  I 
thank  God  I  have  lived  well  these  many  years  and 
never  knew  either  the  old  or  the  new.  I  content  me 
with  my  Portuise  and  my  Pontifical,  and  if  you  Dean 
Thomas  leave  not  these  fantasies  you  will  repent 
when  you  cannot  mend  it." 

Here  we  have  a  Roman  Catholic  bishop  declaring 
in  open  court  that  he  had  never  read  the  Bible  and 
desired  nothing  but  his  breviary  and  book  of  rites 
and  ceremonies.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  add  that 
the  dean  suffered  martyrdom,  having  been  burned  to 
death. 

With  such  a  lack  of  education  it  is  not  surprising, 
therefor,  to  see  bonds  to  the  king  given  by  heads  of 
clans,  promising  to  keep  good  rule  or  to  furnish 
armed  men  or  the  like,  often  signed  "with  our  hands 
at  the  pen  led  by  John  Andro,"  or  "John  Andro  for 
those  who  cannot  write." 

Walter  Scott  of  Satchells,  when  he  dictated  his 


The  Border  Clans.  7 

history,  called  himself  "  Captain  Walter  Scott,  an  old 
souldier  and  no  scholler, 

And  one  that  can  write  nane, 
But  just  the  letters  of  his  name." 

One  of  the  last  contracts  or  pledges  to  the  crown, 
being  a  general  band  or  bond  against  thieves,  mur- 
derers and  oppVessors,  was  made  as  late  at  1602,  and 
among  the  lairds  who  subscribed  thereto  is  "Johnne 
Inglis  of  Manerheid  (with  my  hand  at  the  pen  led  by 
James  Primrois,  Clerk  of  the  Counsale,  at  my  com- 
mand because  I  cannot  write),"  and  Maxwells,  Turn- 
bulls,  Kers,  Scotts  and  others  make  the  same  con- 
fession—  but  nevertheless  they  could  handle  the 
sword  and  spear,  and  were 

"  Steady  of  heart  and  stout  of  hand 
As  ever  drove  prey  from  Cumberland." 

These  were  Kers,*  Scotts  (the  two  great  rival 
families).  Homes,  Elliots,  Johnstones,  Grahams, 
Armstrongs,  Irvings,  Cranstouns,  Cockburns,  Max- 
wells, Gladstones,  Dicksons  and  others  who  were 
always  ready  for  the  fray  and  only  counted  a  preda- 
tory excursion  one  of  the  ordinary  diversions  of  every- 
day life  —  replaced  in  a  measure  in  the  present  day 
by  shooting  tame  partridges  or  pheasants  in  preserves 
or  following  the  hounds.  The  man  who  plundered 
another's  cattle  would  perhaps  meet  him  soon  after 
at  a  border  meeting  and  joke  and  gamble  and  drink 
with  him,  although  quite  ready  to  fight,  if  necessary, 

*  This  name  was  usually  written  Ker  on  the  Scottish  side  and  Carr 
on  the  English  side. 


8  The  Border  Clans. 

rather  than  give  up  his  spoils  —  except  for  a  con- 
sideration ! 

For  notwithstanding  their  mutual  hostilities  and 
reciprocal  depredations  a  natural  intercourse  took 
place  between  the  English  and  Scottish  marchers  at 
these  meetings  and  during  the  short  intervals  of 
peace.  They  met  frequently  also  at  parties  of  the 
chace  or  foot-ball  ;  and  it  required  many  and  strict 
regulations  to  prevent  them  from  forming  intermar- 
riages and  from  cultivating  too  close  an  intimacy. 
This  humanity  and  moderation  was,  however,  in  the 
case  of  deadly  feud  entirely  laid  aside.  Their  ven- 
geance then  not  only  vented  itself  upon  the  homicide 
and  his  friends  but  upon  all  his  kindred  and  tribe. 

Yet  still  the  report  of  Sir  Robert  Bowes  when  he 
invaded  Scotland  in  1545,  speaks  volumes.  The 
English  borderers  would  not  burn  down  the  standing 
corn  and  he  had  to  draft  Irishmen  for  the  purpose. 

The  friendly  meetings  took  place  on  "days  of  trew 
(truce)  "  or  "  March  days," '"'  principally  to  settle  scores 
for  depredations  and  injuries  on  either  side,  of  which 
there  was  a  rough  tariff,  generally  acknowledged  as 
border  law,  and  this  law  made  it  death  for  an  English- 
man or  Scotchman  to  draw  weapon  upon  his  greatest 
foe  from  the  time  of  holding  the  court  till  next  morn- 
ing at  sunrise,  it  being  judged  that  in  this  interval 
all  might  return  home. 

One  of  these  was  held  at  Reidswire  in  the  Cheviots 
in  1575,  which  ended  in  one  of  the  last  of  the  border 

*  Not  the  month  but  the  frontier. 


The  Border  Clans.  9 

fights.  The  clans  of  the  Middle  Marches  with  Sir 
John  Carmichael,  deputy  keeper  of  Liddesdale,  at 
their  head,  there  met  the  English  Borderers  of  Tyne- 
dale  and  Redesdale  under  Sir  John  Forster,  the 
English  warden  of  the  Middle  Marches.  The  meet- 
ing began  as  usual  in  mirth  and  good  fellowship. 
Booths  were  erected,  drink  was  sold  and  an  im- 
promptu fair  sprung  up.  But  while  all  went  on 
merrily  the  two  leaders  quarrelled.  The  English 
took  umbrage  at  the  pretensions  of  the  Scot,  and 
rising  in  his  stirrups  gave  a  signal  to  his  men  of 
Tynedale  who  forthwith  discharged  a  flight  of  arrows. 
Then  both  sides  set  to  work  with  sword  and  spear 
and  bended  bow,  and  a  fight  ensued  which  was  de- 
cided at  last  in  favor  of  the  Scots,  although  the  Eng- 
lish had  the  advantage  in  point  of  numbers. 

The  Scotts  of  Buccleugh  were  there  with  "  The 
Laird's  Wat,"  as  Scott  of  Goldiland  was  called,*  at 
their  head. 

"  The  Armestranges  that  aye  hae  been  a 
hardie  house  but  not  a  hail.t 
The  Elliots  honours  to  maintaine  brought 

down  the  lave|  o'  Liddesdale, 
The  Sherifife  brought  the  Douglas  down 
Wi'  Cranstane,  Gladstain  good  at  need, 
Beanjeddart  bauldy  made  him  boun§ 
Wi'  a'  the  Trumbills  stronge  and  stout, 
The  Rutherfoords  with  gret  renown. 
Of  other  clans  I  cannot  tell, 
Because  our  warning  was  not  wide  " — 


*  Some  say,  however,  this  was  Walter  Scott  of  Ancrum. 
t  Not  hail  or  whole,  because  they  were  an  outlawed  or  broken  clan. 
X  Rest.  §  Archibald  of  Bonjedburgh  made  himself  ready. 

2 


lO  The  Border  Clans. 

On  the  English  side  were 

"  Five  hundred  Fenwicks  in  a  flock 
Wi'  Sir  John  Foster  for  their  guyde 
Full  fifteen  hundred  men  and  mae." 

Sir  John  Heron  one  of  the  EngHsh  leaders  was 
slain  and  the  warden  and  several  others  taken  prison- 
ers. The  queen,  as  might  have  been  expected  of  the 
daughter  of  bluff  Harry  was  furious  when  she  heard 
how  her  men  had  been  chased  across  the  border,  and 
the  Regent  Morton,  to  appease  her,  sent  the  Scottish 
leader  a  prisoner  to  England,  but  good  Queen  Bess 
was  too  magnanimous  to  take  vengeance  on  a  help- 
less foeman.  The  English  court  moreover  being  con- 
vinced that  their  own  warden  was  in  the  wrong,  not 
only  discharged  Carmichael  with  honor,  but  even 
gave  him  a  present. 

Our  forefathers  called  this  fight  an  unhappy  acci- 
dent only.  In  a  proclamation  of  the  regent  warning 
the  people  not  to  take  advantage  of  it,  and  to  keep 
the  peace,  it  is  styled  the  "  unhappy  accident  at  the 
lait  meeting  on  the  Reid  Swyre." 

It  must  be  remembered  that  although  when  the 
English  invaded  us  reprisals  followed  as  a  matter  of 
course,  still  it  was  not  in  private  forays  only  that 
our  Marchmen  were  engaged.  They  acted  as  a  sort 
of  border  militia  to  protect  their  country  not  only 
from  the  English  but  also  from  the  baitablers,  and 
frequently  bound  themselves  to  the  king  to  that 
effect.  In  a  tax  levied  in  1586,  for  a  force  of  waged 
men  on  the  border,  the  border  shires  are  expressly 


The  Border  Clans.  1 1 

exempted  from  taxation  on  the  ground  of  personal 
service. 

In  1522,  the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury  invaded  the  king- 
dom, burnt  part  of  the  town  of  Kelso  and,  according 
to  some  writers,  burnt  eighty  villages  also  and  razed 
eighteen  towers  of  stone,  but  he  was  met  by  the 
Borderers  of  the  Merse  and  Teviotdale  and  forced  to 
retreat  with  considerable  loss. 

In  1523,  the  Earl  of  Surrey  crossed  the  borders 
with  ten  thousand  mercenaries  besides  other  forces, 
but  was  so  annoyed  by  the  Scotch  skirmishers  that 
he  wrote  to  his  king  "  I  assure  your  grace  I  found 
the  Scottes  at  this  tyme  the  boldest  men  and  the 
hottest  that  ever  I  sawe  any  nation.  And  all  the 
jorney  upon  all  parts  of  the  armye  kept  us  with  so 
contynuall  skyrmyshe  that  I  never  sawe  the  like.  If 
they  might  assemble  XP'  M'  as  good  men  as  I  now 
sawe  XV'^  or  ij  M* ;  it  wold  bee  a  herd  encountre  to 
mete  theym." 

Surrey's  praise  is  valuable,  being  that  of  a  good 
soldier  who  had  often  been  employed  on  foreign  ser- 
vice. 

In  1532,  the  Earl  of  Northumberland  detached 
fifteen  hundred  men  who  ravaged  and  plundered  the 
lands  of  Sir  Walter  Scott  of  Buccleugh  and  burned 
Brankso'me,  but  failed  in  their  principal  object  which 
was  to  kill  or  make  him  prisoner.  In  resentment  for 
this  Sir  Walter  and  other  border  chiefs  assembled 
three  thousand  men  whom  with  consummate  skill 
and  valor  they  conducted  into  England,  laid  waste  a 


12  The  Border  Clans. 

large  part  of  Northumberland,  baffled  and  defeated 
the  English  and  returned  home  laden  with  booty. 

In  August,  1542,  Sir  Robert  Bowes  with  three  thou- 
sand horse  attempted  to  enter  Scotland,  but  was  de- 
feated at  Haddon-Rigg,  and  himself  and  six  hundred 
men  made  prisoners,  and  in  October  of  the  same 
year  the  Duke  of  Norfolk  with  twenty  or  thirty 
thousand  men  burnt  Roxburgh  and  Kelso  and  sev- 
eral villages,  but  was  then  compelled  to  retire. 

It  would  be  almost  impossible  now  to  recount  the 
frequent  greater  inroads,  to  say  nothing  of  the  les- 
ser or  what  may  be  called  the  private  ones,  but  the 
Official  Reports  of  two  inroads  in  the  years  1544 
and  1545,  which  have  been  preserved,  deserve  some 
notice.  No  less  than  eleven  Dickson  fortalices  were 
demolished  at  this  time. 

The  first  report  is  that  of  Lord  Eure,  Sir  Brian 
Laiton,  Sir  Robert  Bowes  and  others,  entitled  "  Ex- 
ployts  don  upon  the  Scotts  from  the  beginning  of 
July  Anno  36  R.  R.  Henrice  8'^"  and  the  king  is 
informed  that  up  to  the  17th  Nov.  1544,  they  had  de- 
stroyed 192  towns,  towers,  stedes,  barnekyns,  parish 
churches,  and  bastell-houses,  slew  403  Scotts  and 
took  816  prisoners,  10,383  nolt  {black  cattle^.  12,492 
shepe,  1,296  naggs  and  geldings,  200  gayt,  850  bolls 
of  corn,  and  *'  Insight  Geare." 

This  last  item  of  household  goods  is  not  carried 
out  but  in  one  place  it  says  "  a  great  quantity." 

Unfortunately  there  had  been  at  this  time  an  An- 
glo-Scottish party,  which  had  supported  the  interests 


The  Border  Clans.  13 

of  the  English  Monarch,  but  all  parties  finally  united 
in  support  of  the  independence  of  the  realm.  The 
day  of  vengeance  came,  and  the  following  spring  the 
Scots,  although  far  less  in  number,  utterly  defeated 
the  English  at  Ancrum,  slew  eight  hundred  men,  in- 
cluding their  leaders  Eure  and  Laiton,  who  for  the 
preceding  nine  months  had  signalized  themselves 
by  their  unexampled  and  cruel  ravages,  and  took 
one  thousand  prisoners. 

The  Earl  of  Hertford  made  an  invasion  with  an 
army  of  [4,000  men.  His  report  is  headed  "The 
Names  of  the  Fortresses,  Abbeys,  Market  Towns, 
Villages,  Towns  and  Places,  burnt,  raced  and  cast 
down  by  the  commandment  of  Therll  of  Hertforde 
*  *  *  between  the  8th  and  23rd  September  1545." 
"Sum  Total  287." 

In  this  sum  total  are  included  seven  monasteries 
and  'frear-houses  and  three  hospitals,  among  which 
were  the  abbeys  of  Kelso,  Melrose,  Dryburgh,  Rox- 
burgh and  Coldingham,  and  yet  it  is  generally  said 
that  these  were  destroyed  by  the  Scottish  Reformers  ! 

The  Earl's  list  also  contains  Kenetsyde,  Hassyng- 
tonmaynes,  Mersington,  Stanefawde,  Headrigge, 
Newtoun,  Letam,  Ormeston,  Newbigging,  Belclester 
and  Boughtrige,  all  of  which  were  then,  or  at  one 
time  at  least,  Dickson  baronies,  and  must  have  been 
places  of  more  or  less  importance  or  they  would  not 
have  been  mentioned  in  the  Earl's  report. 

His  roll  is  a  sad  one,  e.  g.,  "  In  Lasseden  burnt  16 
strong  bastell  Houses  and  sundry  that  held  the  same 


14  The  Border  Clans. 

slain  *  *  *  -won  divers  strong  Castell  Houses 
and  slew  all  the  Scottish  men  in  the  same  *  *  * 
slew  80  men,  the  most  part  being  Gentlemen  and  of 
hed  surnames." 

In  one  of  the  Earl's  letters  dated  Sep.  13,  1545,  he 
says  "  not  so  much  harm  done  these  hundred  years," 
and  speaking  of  burning  the  standing  corn  he  adds 
they  had  employed  Irishmen  for  the  Borderers  would 
not  burn  their  neighbour's  property.  The  orders  of 
King  Henry  VIII,  were  in  case  of  resistence  to  slay 
man,  woman  and  child,  and  to  destroy  every  thing. 
Sir  Robert  Bowes  almost  repeats  the  Earl's  words, 
for  desirous  to  do  his  duty  in  what  he  considered  a 
perfect  manner  he  drafted  a  hundred  Irishmen  into 
the  expedition  "because  the  Borderers  will  not  wil- 
lingly burn  their  neighbours"  —  a  very  significant 
remark  —  the  English  Borderers  were  not  sufficiently 
relentless  to  be  relied  on  for  wanton  mischief  and 
cruelty,  even  although  it  was  to  serve  the  king. 

Our  clans  it  will  be  seen  had  sufficient  provocation 
and  should  not  be  censured  too  harshly,  for  they 
were  not  a  bloodthirsty  race  like  some  of  the  ruftians 
in  the  Far  West  in  this  century  of  education,  as  the 
contemporary  evidence  of  a  Scotch  bishop  (not  a 
Borderer),  a  Frenchman  and  an  Englishman  shows 
that  they  were  an  honorable  and  kind-hearted  people, 
loth  to  shed  blood  —  in  fact,  a  jolly,  thoughtless  set 
of  marauders. 

Bishop  Leslie  tells  us  what  were  their  ideas  of 
meum   et  tuuin,   and    if   we  have   socialists    in  these 


The  Border  Clans.  15 

enlightened  days,  it  is  not  surprising  that  communis- 
tic opinions  flourished  when  there  was  almost  no 
enlightenment  at  all.  They  considered  it  perfectly 
legitimate,  aye  even  gallant  and  honorable  to  plun- 
der  their  English  neighbours  south  of  the  border, 
but  always,  if  possible,  without  the  effusion  of  blood. 
Their  chief  property  was  in  cattle,  and  as  they  were 
nightly  exposed  to  the  attacks  of  the  English  March- 
men — 

"Northumbrian  prickers*   rude  and  wild." 

As  rapacious  and  active  as  themselves,  their  incur- 
sions assumed  the  appearance  of  fair  reprisals.  A 
predatory  expedition  was  the  general  declaration  of 
enmity ;  and  the  command  given  by  the  chief  to  clear 
the  pastures  of  the  enemy  constituted  the  usual  let- 
ters of  marque,  and  the  cattle  taken  were  considered 
fair  spoils  of  war. 

When  Wat  of  Harden  in  1576,  married  Mary  Scott 
of  Dryhope,  her  father  agreed  to  find  him  in  victuals 
for  man  and  horse  at  Dryhope  Tower,  a  twelvemonth 
and  a  day,  in  return  for  the  profits  of  the  first 
Michaelmas  moon,  meaning  the  plunder  of  a  raid  into 
England  —  and  this  contract  was  drawn  up  by  a  no- 
tary public  before  witnesses  !  But  in  fact  disorder 
of  all  kinds  prevailed  in  every  kingdom  of  Europe 
to  a  degree  almost  incredible.  How  frequently  we 
read  in  old  Froissart  or  Monstrelet  of  noble  kniehts 
going  forth   in   search   of  adventures,  which  in  our 

*The  ancient  spurs  had  a  single  spike  only,  and  were  called  pryck 
spurs. 


1 6  The  Border  Clans. 

present  language  would  signify  to  lay  their  hands 
on  whatever  they  came  across. 

The  robber  knights  of  Germany  were  notorious. 
Rauber  or  robber  {Freiherr  Ratiber  von  Planken- 
steifi)  is  a  noble  German  name,  and  de  Roovere  (the 
Robber*)  a  noble  Dutch  one,  the  first  of  whom  on 
record  was  Edmond  de  Rovere,  Lord  of  Rode  in 
1 1 79.  Ladron  (Robber)  de  Guevara  is  a  noble  Span- 
ish name,  and  in  France  a  Captain  Taillebot  was  en- 
nobled in  1562,  his  name  being  probably  the  Rom- 
ance "  talebot,"  i.  e.,  pillager,  thief.  The  first  on 
record  (in  Domesday  Book)  of  the  English  Talbots 
was  a  Talebot. 

One  must  suppose  that  the  founders  of  these  fami- 
lies were  leaders  especially  famous,  like  to  our 
Johnny  Armstrong,  Rob  Roy  MacGregor  or  that 
chief  of  Clan  Grant  called  James  of  the  Forays. 

A  Cameron  of  Lochiel  bore  a  similar  sobriquet, 
Ailean  nan  Creach,  Allan  of  the  Forays.  In  his  old 
age  however  in  expiation  of  seven  great  forays,  he 
built  as  many  churches,  and  is  therefore  sometimes 
spoken  of  in  tradition  as  Ailean  nan  Eaglais,  Allan 
of  the  Churches. 

They  were  not  very  sensitive  regarding  nomencla- 
ture, and  some  of  their  appellations  were  not  dissimi- 
lar to  those  of  the  North  American  Indians.  A 
Sitting  Bull  is  living  still,  but  how  many  are  aware 
that  Rollo,  Duke  of  Normandy,  was  really  a  Walking 
Wolf?  —  Jarl    Heirulff    or  Gangerolf,    for  the   Earl 

*The  prefix  "  de  "  in  Dutch  means  the,  as  de  Witt,  the  White. 


The  Border  Clans.  17 

Lord  Wolf  was  obliged  on  account  of  his  great  size 
to  gang  on  foot  as  no  horse  could  carry  him.  One 
of  the  Conqueror's  companions  was  Lord  with  the 
Teeth  (^Dan  as  denz  —  what  tusks  he  must  have  had), 
another  William  with  the  Whiskers  {als  ger 710ns,  2inA 
Algernon  is  still  almost  a  hereditary  baptismal  name 
in  the  Percy  family),  a  Duke  of  Guienne,  Towhead, 
another  noble  Ass's  head.  A  son  of  the  Duke  of 
Gascony,  Arnoud  the  Unborn  !  One  of  the  late 
Prince  Albert's  ancestors  was  Frederick  with  the  Bit- 
ten Cheek,  but  a  very  nasty  name  was  that  of  a 
Welsh  noble,  Howel  the  Scabby  !  And  they  were 
not  ashamed  of  it  for  even  his  great  grandson  sub- 
scribed his  name  as  Llewellyn  ab  Gwilym  ab  Hywel 
y  grach. 

But  I  am  digressing  and  will  only  add  a  few  Scotch 
sobriquets  derived  from  deformities.  A  Marquess  of 
Athol  was  known  as  John  with  the  Large  Mouth 
(Ian  a  Bheal  mor)  ;  a  Duke  of  the  same  house  who 
was  blind  of  an  eye,  Ian  Cam  ;  the  second  Earl  of 
Breadalbane  was  John  the  Lame  (Ian  Bachach);  a 
Macleod  of  Macleod  Alexander  the  Humpback 
(Alasdair  Crotach).  and  Lachlan  Maclean,  laird  of 
Dowart  was  styled  the  Big-bellied  (Bronach).  Hugh 
Fraser,  Lord  Lovat  {b.  1666)  who  had  a  large  black 
spot  on  his  upper  lip,  was  called  Black  Spotted  Si- 
mon's son  (Mac  Shimi  Baldu). 

But  why  should  I  go  on  when  we  find  at  the  pres- 
ent day  such  names  as  Parnell,  Trollope,  Trull,  Fitz 
Parnell,  Cumbechance,  and  the  like  ? 
3 


1 8  The  Border  Clans. 

In  1377,  the  King  of  Cyprus,  who  paid  a  visit  to 
England,  was  robbed  and  stripped  there  on  the  high- 
way with  all  his  retinue,  and  even  in  the  very  heart 
of  good  old  England  there  was  one  county  so  noted 
for  its  robbers,  who  harboured  in  its  woods  until  they 
were  cut  down  by  Leofstane,  Abbott  of  St.  Albans, 
that  the  proverb  ran 

*'  Buckinghamshire  bread  and  beef, 
If  you  beat  a  bush  you'll  start  a  thief." 

With  these  it  was  all  on  one  side,  but  with  the 
Marchmen  of  both  countries  there  was  a  quid  pro 
quo.  They  were  usually  called  thieves,  an  expression 
I  have  not  used  as  the  word  has  now  a  different  sig- 
nification. A  thief  may  be  defined  as  one  who  will 
take  whatever  he  can  pick  up  and  has  himself  noth- 
ing to  lose,  while  their  forays  were  commonly  only  a 
retaliation  for  recent  injuries,  or  in  revenge  of  for- 
mer wrongs,  and  when  they  carried  off  cattle  or  other 
spoils  it  was  with  the  consciousness  that  their  own 
herds  were  exposed  to  the  risk  of  being  appropriated 
by  others. 

When  King  James  charged  Johnnie  Armstrong 
with  treason  and  robbery  the  border  chief  replied : 

"  Ye  lied,  ye  lied,  now  King,  he  says, 
Although  a  King  and  prince  ye  be  ! 
For  I've  loved  naething  in  my  life, 
I  weel  dare  say  but  honesty. 
Save  a  fat  horse  and  a  fair  woman, 
Twa  bonnie  dogs  to  kill  a  deir; 
But  England  sould  have  found  me  meal  and  mault, 
Gif  I  had  lived  this  hundred  yeir." 


The  Border  Clans. 


19 


As  old  Satchells  says  (drawing  a  very  nice  dis- 
tinction), they  were  not  thieves,  but  freebooters. 

I  have  never  met  with  an  account  of  a  private 
Border  foray,  but  one  of  a  Highland  raid  has  been 
preserved,  which  will  give  some  idea  of  the  lordly 
scale  in  which  they  were  sometimes  conducted,  as 
well  as  the  proportion  of  the  different  kinds  of  stock 
then  kept. 

A  Decree  of  Council  of  James  V  (1488-1513)  is 
as  follows : 

"That  Huchone  Ross  of  Kilrawok  and  his  son 
shall  restore,  consent  and  pay  to  Mr.  Alexander 
Urquhart,  sheriff  of  Cromarty,  the  following  items, 
carried  off  by  them  and  their  accomplices 


s. 

13 

26 

2 
2 


600  Cows,  price  of  each 
5  Score  horses,  each. 

50  Score  sheep,  each. . 

20  Score  goats,  each .  . 
200  Swine,  each 

20  Score  bolls  of  victuals,  each  boll 
Six  hundred  cows,  100  horses,  1,000  sheep,  400 
goats,  etc.,  was  the  work  not  of  thieves,  but  of 
foragers  on  a  grand  scale  — •  i.  e.,  judging  them  always 
by  the  standard  of  the  times  they  lived  in,  when 
religion  consisted  in  saying  a  few  paters  and  aves, 
every  thing  else  being  left  to  the  priest,  and  Usher's 
eleven  commandments  were  practically  unknown.* 


*The  Archbishop  had  often  heard  of  the  saintly  Rutherford,  and 
when  travehng   in   Scotland  contrived   to  arrive  at  the  manse  at 


20  The  Border  Clans. 

"  Reparavit  cornua  Phoebe"  (We'll  have  moon- 
light again)  was  the  motto  of  the  Scotts  of  Harden, 
and  "Best  riding  by  moonlight"  that  of  the  Buccleughs. 
"Ye  shall  want  ere  I  want"  that  of  the  Cranstouns, 
and  "  Forward"  that  of  the  Douglasses.  One  of  the 
Dickson  mottoes  was  "Fortes  fortuna  juvat"  (For- 
tune favors  the  bold)  and  another  "Cubo  sed  euro" 
(I  sleep  but  watch).  The  Haliburton  motto  was 
"  Watch  well." 

War-cries  called  Slughorns,  Slogans  or  Ensenzies, 
were  confined  generally  to  chiefs  of  clans  and  military 
leaders.  Most  of  them  are  lost,  but  the  earliest  on 
record,  save  perhaps  that  of  Gaul  Mac  Morn  "  First 
to  come  and  last  to  go  "  is  that  of  the  Celtic  portion 
of  the  Scotch  army  at  the  battle  of  the  Standard  in 
Yorkshire,  A.  D.  1138,  who  cried  "  Albanich,  Alba- 
nich!"*  St.  Andrew  was  the  shout  of  the  kinoes  of 
Scotland;  that  of  the  old  Earls  of  Douglas  "A 
Douglas  !  A  Douglas  !  "  and  of  the  Homes  "A  Home  ! 
A  Home!"     The  Scotts  cried   "  Bellendaine "  from 


nightfall,  and  as  was  formerly  customary  when  there  were  few 
travelers,  asked  for  accommodation.  At  family  prayers  Ruther- 
ford catechized  them,  and  his  question  to  the  stranger  was  "How 
many  commandments  are  there?"  "Eleven"  was  the  reply. 
Gravely  expressing  his  surprise,  the  minister  finally  said,  "What 
then  is  the  eleventh  commandment?"  "A  new  commandment 
give  I  unto  you,  that  ye  love  one  another,"  was  the  answer.  Ruther- 
ford soon  found  out  who  his  guest  was,  and  the  following  day  being 
Sunday,  requested  him  to  take  his  place  in  the  kirk,  which  the  pre- 
late did,  using  the  Presbyterian  form  only. 

*People  of  Albainn,  or  Scotchmen. 


The  Border  Clans.  ii 

Bellendean  in  Roxburghshire  or  according  to  Logan 
"Ale  Muir."  The  Cranstouns  "Henwodclie"  from 
their  place  of  rendezvous  on  Oxnam  water,  and  the 
Maxwells  "  Wardlaw !  Wardlaw !  I  bid  you  bide 
Wardlaw ! "  from  a  hill  near  their  castle  of  Caerlave- 
rock.  The  Setons  (not  a  Border  family,  however), 
cried  "A  Seton  !  A  Seton  !  Set  on!  Set  on  !" 

There  are  two  little  burns  called  the  Tarset  and  the 
Tarret  and  the  slogan  of  the  people  of  that  district 
was  "Tarsetburn  and  Tarretburn  !  Yet !  Yet !  Yet !  " 

A  most  singular  cry  of  some  of  our  Marchmen  was 
"A  holy  day  !  A  holy  day  !"  every  day  in  their  esti- 
mation being  holy  that  was  spent  in  ravaging  Eng- 
land. This  is  said  to  have  been  the  origin  of  the 
name  of  the  Hallidays  of  Allandale. 

Many  of  the  border  families,  English  as  well  as 
Scotch,  bore  mullets  in  their  arms.  These  in  heraldry 
are  said  to  be  spur-rowels,  and  it  has  therefore  been 
considered  that  they  were  emblematical,  but  the 
heralds  appear  to  have  been  at  fault  in  styling  them 
rowels,  for  the  Douglasses  and  Dicksons  probably 
bore  mullets,  which  are  only  five-pointed  stars,  before 
rowels  were  invented,  which  was  only  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  fourteenth  century.  A  mullet  is  repre- 
sented on  the  seal  of  Adam  Home,  A,  D.  1165.  The 
earliest  known  seal  of  the  Douglasses  is  of  the  year 
1296,  and  bears  three  mullets,  and  these  may  have 
been  assumed,  for  arms  were  seldom  granted  in  those 
days,  about  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century  by 
Dick  de  Keth  or  Keith,  whose  mother  appears  to  have 


22  The  Border  Clans. 

been  a  Douglas,  and  who  was  father  of  Thomas  Die- 
son,  born  in  1247. 

"Spare  nought"  was  the  motto  of  the  Hays,  an- 
cestors of  the  Marquesses  of  Tweeddale,  and  if  it  was 
adopted  in  1522,  when  the  EngHsh  burned  Kelso  and 
eighty  villages  besides,  or  in  1545,  when  Lord  Eure 
burned  the  tower  of  Broomhouse,  with  its  lady,  a 
noble  and  aged  woman,  her  children  and  whole 
family, —  it  must  be  allowed  the  Hays  had  some  ex- 
cuse. At  the  battle  of  Ancrum  Moor  the  cry  of  our 
Borderers  was  "  Revenge  for  Broomhouse." 

The  ladies  of  the  day  were  notable  housewives. 
When  the  Harden  larder  was  empty  a  dish  was 
placed  by  her  ladyship's  orders  before  the  baron  of 
Harden  himself,  which  being  uncovered  disclosed  a 
pair  of  spurs  —  and  the  equivalent  to  the  modern 
order  "  Boot  and  saddle"  was  soon  given. 

This  custom  was  peculiar  to  the  Scotts  of  Harden, 
but  is  constantly  brought  up  against  all  our  fore- 
bears, yet  no  one  ever  adds  that  it  was  the  custom  in 
Cumberland  to  lay  a  sword  on  the  table  when  the 
provisions  were  finished  ! 

After  1542,  the  laird  of  Harden  of  that  period 
might  have  said  that  in  that  year  King  Henry,  before 
any  declaration  of  war,  seized  twenty-eight  Scotch 
ships  laden  with  costly  merchandize,  and  if  an  Eng- 
lish king  could  do  that  in  time  of  peace  might  not  a 
Scotch  baron  pick  up  a  few  cattle  ? 

Every  evening  the  sheep  were  generally  taken 
from  the  hills  and  the  cattle  from  the  pastures  to  be 


The  Border  Clans.  23 

secured  in  the  lower  floors  or  barnekyns  of  the  strong 
houses,  so  that  the  disappointed  rovers  often  found 
every  thing  secure. 

Even  "  the  sturdy  Armstrongs  who  were  forever 
riding"  were  sometimes  thus  disgusted.  The  old 
imes  say  — 

"  Then  Johnie  Armstrong  to  Willie  'gan  say 
Billie,  a  riding  then  will  we  : 
England  and  us  have  been  long  at  feud 
Aiblins  we'll  light  upon  some  bootie. 
Then  they're  come  unto  Hutton  Ha', 
They  rade  that  proper  place  about, 
But  the  Laird  he  was  the  wiser  man, 
He  had  left  na  geir  without 
Except  sax  sheep  upon  a  lea; 
Quo'  Johnie  —  I'd  rather  in  England  dee 
Ere  this  sax  sheep  gae  to  Liddesdale  wi'  me.'' 

Poor  Johnie  was  only  carrying  on  a  private  war  of 
his  own.  Six  sheep  only,  however,  were  beneath  his 
notice.  Those  were  the  days  when  to  return  a 
Roland  for  an  Oliver  was  the  rule,  and  he  said  truly 
that  with  England  we  have  been  long  at  feud. 
Johnie  Armstrong,  Laird  of  Gilnockie,  was  famous 
as  the  most  popular  and  potent  forager  of  his  time, 
who  laid  the  whole  English  border  under  contribu- 
tion, levying  saufey  money  or  blackmail  as  far  as 
Newcastle,  but  who  never  injured  any  of  his  own 
countrymen.  It  was  said  that  no  one,  of  whatever 
estate,  between  the  border  and  Newcastle  but  paid 
him  blackmail. 

He  was  always  attended  by  twenty-four  gentlemen 
well  mounted.     When  James  V  made  a  Royal  Prog- 


24  The  Border  Clans. 

ress  in  1528,  Gilnockie  appeared  with  thirty-six  per- 
sons in  his  train,  all  richly  apparelled  and  unarmed  ; 
but  the  king,  finding  him  in  his  power,  and  being 
then  at  peace  with  England,  ordered  him  to  be  exe- 
cuted, notwithstanding  all  his  offers.  Finding  his 
entreaties  were  of  no  avail,  he  boldly  said  that  had 
he  expected  such  a  reception  he  would  have  defied 
the  king  and  all  his  troops,  but  that  it  was  folly  to 
ask  grace  of  a  graceless  face. 

"  To  seek  hot  water  beneath  cold  ice, 
Surelie  it  is  a  great  foHe  : 
I  haif  asked  grace  of  a  graceless  face. 
But  there  is  nane  for  my  men  and  me." 

He  was  betrayed  and  put  to  death  without  trial,  a 
proceeding  which,  even  in  that  age,  was  considered 
unjustifiable  ;  but  the  king  was  then  only  twenty- 
one  years  old,  and  was  probably  a  tool  in  the  hands 
of  Armstrong's  enemies. 

Lindesay  of  Pittscottie,  speaking  of  the  execution, 
says  :  "  Quhilk  monie  Scottis  mene  heavily  lamented, 
for  he  was  ane  doubtit  {redoubted)  man,  and  als  good 
ane  chieftain  as  ever  was  vpoun  the  Borderis  aither 
of  Scotland  or  of  England." 

There  is  no  trace  whatever  of  his  stronghold,  the 
last  relics  of  the  tower  of  Gilnockie  having  been  re 
moved  to  make  a  bridge  over  the  Esk.  The  tower 
of  Hollows,  a  square  peel  seventy  feet  high,  is  said 
to  have  been  his  ;  but  Hollas  Tower  was  held  by 
Lord  Maxwell,  and  there  is  no  proof  that  he  ever 
granted  it  to  Gilnockie. 


The  Border  Clans.  25 

I  repeat,  then,  should  our  clans  be  so  loaded  with 
reproaches  ?  They  were,  at  least,  no  worse  than 
their  neighbors  on  the  south  side  of  the  Border. 

Modern  writers  generally  forget  that  the  doctrine 
of  those  days  was 

"  The  good  old  law  —  the  simple  plan  — 
That  they  should  take  who  have  the  power, 
And  they  should  keep  who  can  " — 

and  the  Pope  himself  tried  to  play  that  game,  for  in 
1300  Boniface  VIII  claimed  to  be  liege  lord  of  Scot- 
land, but  without  avail.  Some  years  later  (13 17)  he 
issued  a  bull  excommunicating  the  Bruce  and  all  his 
adherents  in  the  most  solemn  manner,  but  the  king 
would  not  receive  it  neither  would  the  Scotch  bishops 
promulgate  it  and  the  fulminations  of  the  Vatican 
were  totally  disregarded.  The  following  year  the 
Pope  again  ordered  his  legates  to  publish  the  sentence 
of  excommunication,  which  was  accordingly  done  in 
England,  Wales  and  Ireland  and  also  in  France  and 
Flanders,  but  again  the  Scotch  bishops  took  no  notice 
of  the  threats  of  their  brother  bishop  of  Rome.  The 
interdict  was  not  obeyed  and  although  the  bell  was 
ordered  no  longer  to  be  rung,  the  book  no  longer  to 
be  opened  nor  the  candles  to  be  burnt,  nevertheless 
the  churches  were  not  closed,  the  regular  services 
continued  to  be  performed,  and  every  thing  went  on 
as  usual. 

And  we  succeeded  as  well  also  in  our  struggles 
with  Albion.      At  one  time  when  there  were  internal 
dissensions  and  the  country  was  split  into  two  parties 
4 


26  The  Border  Clans. 

by  the  rival  claimants  Bruce  and  Baliol,  England 
"had  the  power"  and  took  possession,  but  the  tide 
turned  and  we  were  again  united. 

To  state  the  case  as  briefly  as  possible. 

After  the  death  of  King  Alexander  III,  in  1285, 
without  male  issue  there  were  two  claimants,  Baliol 
being  favored  by  King  Edward  I,  of  England,  who 
sent  an  army  to  Scotland,  took  Berwick,  Dunbar, 
Edinburgh,  Stirling  and  other  places,  appointed 
Warenne,  Earl  of  Surrey,  governor  of  Scotland,  and 
after  leaving  garrisons  behind  him  in  the  captured 
places  returned  home,  when  the  Scots  raised  a  strong 
force  under  the  Earl  of  Buchan,  the  English  dis- 
persed in  the  different  fortresses  not  daring  to  move  ; 
ravaged  Northumberland  and  Cumberland  and  laid 
siege  to  Carlisle,  which,  however,  he  was  unable  to 
reduce.  Then  came  the  war  of  independence  under 
Wallace  the  saviour  of  his  country,  who  after  numer- 
ous exploits  was  joined  in  1297,  by  Sir  William 
Douglas  and  soon  after  by  Robert  Bruce.  Edward 
ordered  Warenne  to  chastise  and  suppress  them,  but 
he  was  met  by  Wallace  at  Cambuskenneth  and  de- 
feated with  great  loss.  Wallace  then  returned  to 
the  besieging  of  castles  and  in  a  short  time  so  changed 
the  fortune  of  war  that  there  remained  no  English  in 
Scotland  except  as  prisoners.  He  then  entered  Eng- 
land on  the  first  of  November,  remained  there  three 
months,  living  upon  the  enemy,  and  returned  home 
on  the  first  of  the  following  February  with  much 
spoil. 


The  Border  Clans.  27 

The  English  parliament  ordered  a  general  muster 
at  Newcastle  which  took  place  in  January,  1298,  the 
number  that  appeared  being  2,000  excellent  armed 
horse,  more  than  1,200  light  horse,  and  about  100,000 
foot,  who  were,  however,  dismissed,  but  reassembled 
again  in  June  and  advanced  into  Scotland  and  in  a 
battle  at  Falkirk  entirely  defeated  the  Scots  with 
great  slaughter. 

Soon  after,  as  we  all  know,  Wallace  resigned  his 
charge  as  guardian  of  Scotland,  but  continued  in 
arms  asserting  his  freedom,  until  he  was  taken 
prisoner  and  unmercifully  condemned  and  executed 
as  a  traitor  in  London  in  1305. 

Edward,  after  his  victory,  wasted  all  the  country 
beyond  the  Forth  as  far  as  Perth  and  withdrew  his 
army  and  returned  to  London  at  the  end  of  the  year. 
After  his  departure  the  Scots  again  arose  and  ex- 
pelled all  Edward's  governors  from  the  different 
cities  and  castles.  Two  years  later  (1302)  Edward 
sent  a  fresh  body  of  forces,  thirty  thousand  in  num- 
ber under  John  Lord  Segrave,  who  plundered  the 
country  as  far  as  Roslin,  when  he  unwisely  divided 
his  forces  into  three  divisions  who  were  attacked 
successively  by  the  Scots,  eight  thousand  in  number 
under  John  Cumin  and  Simon  Eraser,  and  defeated 
with  great  loss.  Edward  immediately  raised  a  larger 
army,  attacked  the  country  by  sea  and  land  and  again 
reduced  it,  appointed  governors  and  magistrates  and 
went  back  to  England. 

Then  Bruce  commenced  to  take  a  prominent  part. 


28  The  Border  Clans. 

and,  after  many  struggles,  finally  seized  nearly  all 
the  castles  throughout  the  south  of  Scotland.  Ed- 
ward I  died  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Edward 
II,  who  in  1309  invaded  Scotland,  but  accomplished 
nothing  worthy  of  notice. 

The  next  year,  however,  Bruce  twice  invaded  Eng- 
land in  retaliation,  and  returned  with  immense  booty, 
and  in  the  two  following  years  recovered  all  the  for- 
tified places  which  remained  in  the  possession  of  the 
English. 

Then  came  the  coup  de  grace,  when  the  English 
army  of  upward  of  twenty  thousand  infantry,  to- 
gether with  ninety-three  barons  with  horse  and  arms 
to  the  amount  of  forty  thousand  cavalry,  including 
three  thousand  having  their  horses  covered  with 
plates  of  mail,  and  the  Irish  Prince  O'Connor  with 
twenty-six  Irish  Chieftains  and  their  followers,  a 
body  of  Welsh  warriors  under  their  own  chief,  the 
Earl  of  Hainault,  at  the  head  of  the  chivalry  of 
France  and  Germany,  and  fifty-two  thousand  archers, 
in  all  considerably  over  one  hundred  thousand  men, 
besides  the  camp  followers,  the  largest  army  that  had 
ever  left  England,  met  the  Scotch  army  of  less  than 
forty  thousand  fighting  men,  with  over  fifteen  thou- 
sand unarmed  camp  followers,  at  Bannockburn  in 
1 3 14,  and  were  totally  defeated,  with  the  loss  of  up- 
wards of  thirty  thousand  men.  The  spoils  were  so 
enormous  that  an  English  historian  (the  Monk  of 
Malmesbury)  says  that  the  chariots,  wagons  and 
wheeled  carriages  which  were  loaded  with  baggage 


The  Border  Clans.  29 

and  military  stores  would,  if  drawn  up  in  a  single 
line,  have  extended  sixty  leagues.  He  adds,  "O 
day  of  vengeance  and  misfortune !  day  of  disgrace 
and  perdition  !  unworthy  to  be  included  in  the  circle 
of  the  year,  which  tarnished  the  fame  of  England 
and  enriched  the  Scots  with  the  plunder  of  the  prec- 
ious stuff  of  our  nation  to  the  extent  of  two  hundred 
thousand  pounds." 

Two  hundred  thousand  pounds  of  money  in  those 
days  amounts  to  about  six  hundred  thousand  pounds 
weight  of  silver,  or  about  three  millions  of  pounds  of 
our  present  money.  Almost  a  bagatelle  now,  when 
referring  to  an  army  ;  but  then  a  cow  could  be 
bought  for  five  shillings,  and  an  ox  for  six  shillings 
and  eight  pence. 

Then  came  our  turn  "  to  keep  who  can,"  and  with 
the  sole  exception  of  the  town  of  Berwick,  which  was 
ceded  to  England  by  treaty  in  1482,  we  never  gave 
up  a  foot  of  ground ;  but  when  the  Royal  Families 
were  united  by  marriage,  then  in  our  kindness  we 
gave  old  England  a  King. 

Not  that  peace  followed  after  Bannockburn,  or 
that  was  our  last  victory;  for  in  13 15  Bruce  made  an 
inroad,  penetrating  as  far  as  Richmond,  thence  to 
the  west  of  Yorkshire,  wasting  the  country  for  about 
sixty  miles,  and  carrying  home  much  booty.  In 
131 8,  Sir  Robert  Keith,  Randolph  and  Douglas  re- 
duced Berwick,  became  masters  of  all  Northumber- 
land except  Newcastle,  and  returned  to  Scotland 
laden  with   spoils.     In    13 19,  however,   the  Earl  of 


30  The  Border  Clans. 

Murray  and  Lord  Douglas  made  an  invasion,  com- 
mitting terrible  ravages,  but  were  finally  defeated 
with  a  loss  of  three  thousand  men. 

Early  in  1322,  the  English  Parliament  granted  the 
king  for  serving  in  the  Scottish  war  a  foot  soldier 
out  of  every  village  and  hamlet,  and  a  greater  num- 
ber out  of  the  larger  towns,  but  before  this  was 
effected,  the  Scots  made  an  inroad  in  June  and  again 
in  July,  marching  as  far  as  Preston,  eighty  miles 
within  England  and  returned  home  safely.  Soon 
after  the  English  invaded  Scotland  as  far  as  Edin- 
burgh, but  from  storms  at  sea  preventing  their  ships 
arriving  and  provisions  failing,  for  the  country  was 
deserted  and  desolate,  they  returned  to  England  after 
only  fifteen  days.  The  Scots  then  made  a  new  irruption, 
and  met  Edward  II  at  Byland  Abbey,  Yorkshire,  where 
he  had  collected  his  army  together  and  added  fresh 
levies,  but  he  was  again  routed  by  the  Bruce,  and 
made  a  precipitate  flight,  abandoning  camp  equipage, 
baggage  and  treasure.  The  Scots  plundered  the 
country  as  far  as  Beverley  and  returned  home  laden 
with  booty,  driving  large  herds  of  cattle  before  them 
and  rich  in  multitudes  of  captives.  Sully,  Grand 
Butler  of  France  and  many  French  knights  were 
among  the  prisoners,  but  Bruce  dismissed  them  not 
only  free  from  ransom  but  enriched  with  presents. 

In  1327,  Randolph  and  Douglas  invaded  England 
as  far  as  Durham  with  twenty-four  thousand  horse, 
and  although  pursued  by  Edward  III,  with  an  army 
of  about  sixty   thousand,  of  whom   eight  thousand 


The  Border   Clans.  31 

were  horse  and  twenty-four  thousand  archers,  they 
succeeded  in  returning  home  safe  with  the  plunder 
of  a  three  weeks'  raid.  At  one  time  Edward  thoueht 
he  had  them  in  his  power,  for  behind  the  Scots  army 
was  stretched  out  a  large  morass  which  was  deemed 
impassable  for  cavalry,  but  the  Scots  prepared  a 
number  of  hurdles  made  of  wands  or  boughs  tightly 
wattled  together,  and  packed  up  in  the  smallest  com- 
pass their  most  valuable  booty,  and  at  night,  leaving 
their  camp  fires  burning  to  deceive  the  enemy,  they 
threw  down  the  hurdles  upon  the  softer  places  of  the 
bog  and  thus  passed  over  the  water-runs  in  safety, 
taking  care  to  remove  the  hurdles  so  as  to  prevent 
pursuit. 

In  March,  1333,  Lord  Archibald  Douglas  with 
over  three  thousand  men  ravaged  the  estates  of  Lord 
Dacre  in  Cumberland  to  the  extent  of  thirty  miles, 
and  returned  without  an  encounter.  In  retaliation. 
Sir  Anthony  Lucy  entered  Scotland,  met  Sir  William 
Douglas,  and  after  a  fierce  conflict  gained  the  victory. 

In  July,  1333,  the  English  and  Scottish  armies  met 
at  Halidon  Hill,  and  the  latter  suffered  a  terrible 
defeat,  caused  chiefly  by  the  showers  of  arrows 
poured  into  their  close  battalions  by  the  English 
archers.  The  Scots  had  about  sixty  thousand  men, 
and  the  two  armies  were  about  equal  in  number.  The 
Scottish  loss  was  about  ten  thousand,  or  accordino- 
to  Boece,  fourteen  thousand,  while  a  comparatively 
small  number  of  the  English  suffered.  The  English 
writers  represent  their  army  as  being  far  inferior  in 


32  The  Border  Clans. 

numbers  to  the  Scots,  and  that  there  fell  on  their 
side  only  one  knight,  one  esquire  and  twelve  or  thir- 
teen footmen  !  King  Edward,  however,  in  his  orders 
to  the  prelates  for  a  public  thanksgiving,  though  he 
speaks  of  the  Scottish  army  as  being  very  consider- 
able, does  not  mention  any  inferiority  of  numbers  on 
his  own  side,  and  says  that  the  battle  was  gained 
without  much  loss.  Had  the  English  loss  been  only 
fifteen  against  nearly  as  many  thousands,  would  he 
not  have  used  stronger  language  ? 

In  1335,  Edward  and  Baliol  again  invaded  Scot- 
land into  the  far  North,  and  after  making  a  truce 
with  King  David,  and  appointing  a  Guardian  of 
Scotland^  left  the  country  in  November.  The  next 
year  the  Scots  arose  again,  Edward  returned,  laid 
Aberdeen  in  ashes,  fortified  several  places  and  left 
Scotland  again  in  September.  In  1337,  the  Earl  of 
March  defeated  a  great  body  of  English  at  Panmure. 

After  continual  struggles,  tiresome  to  relate,  the 
English  in  1342,  had  been  driven  out  of  every  part 
of  Scotland  except  Berwick,  and  King  David  Bruce 
entered  England  by  the  eastern  marches,  wasted  and 
spoiled  the  counties  of  Northumberland  and  Dur- 
ham and  returned  home,  but  was  pursued  by  Edward 
who  met  him  at  Jedburgh,  but  after  some  days  spent 
in  skirmishing,  a  truce  was  agreed  to  for  two  years. 

In  1345,  the  Scots  invaded  Westmoreland  and 
burnt  Penrith,  Carlisle  and  other  towns,  but  a 
detached  party  being  routed,  they  retired.  The  fol- 
lowing   year,    David   with    a    large    army    marched 


The  Border  Clans.  33 

through  Cumberland  and  Northumberland  as  far  as 
Durham,  where  they  were  met  by  the  English  army 
and  routed  at  the  battle  of  Neville's  Cross,  with  a 
loss  of  fifteen  thousand  men,  King  David  himself 
being  made  prisoner.  Scotland  was  again  invaded 
as  far  as  Perth,  when  a  truce  was  made,  but  as  the 
English  refused  to  surrender  their  prisoner,  the  Scots 
continually  laid  waste  the  English  borders  until  1356, 
when  Edward  again  advanced  into  Scotland,  and 
Baliol  made  a  formal  surrender  into  his  hands  of  his 
whole  right  to  the  kingdom  of  Scotland.  The  King 
went  as  far  as  Haddington,  but  being  continually 
harrassed  by  small  parties  of  Scots  and  provisions 
failing,  after  burning  Edinburgh  and  Haddington  he 
returned  home.  David  remained  a  prisoner  for 
eleven  years  until  1357,  when  Edward  finding  Scot- 
land could  not  be  captured,  released  him  for  a  heavy 
ransom. 

In  1370,  the  English  entered  Scotland  burning  the 
lands  of  Sir  John  Gordon,  who  in  return  invaded 
England  and  seized  a  number  of  cattle.  When  re- 
turning to  Scotland  he  was  met  by  Sir  John  Lilborne, 
but  after  a  severe  combat  the  English  were  defeated 
and  Lilborne  taken  prisoner.  In  revenge  Henry, 
Earl  of  Northumberland,  invaded  the  country  with 
seven  thousand  horse  and  encamped  at  Duns,  but  the 
herdsmen  and  people  of  the  country  made  use  of  a 
sort  of  machine  which  they  usually  employed  to 
frighten  away  the  wild  cattle  and  deer  from  their 
corn.  These  were  a  kind  of  rattle  made  of  bags  of 
5 


34  The  Border  Clans. 

dried  skins  filled  with  pebbles  at  the  end  of  poles 
which  being  shaken  made  a  hideous  noise.  With 
these  they  ran  round  the  camp  causing  a  stampede, 
the  English  horses  breaking  their  halters  and  bridles, 
so  that  the  enemy,  not  being  able  to  recover  them  and 
finding  themselves  on  foot,  quietly  returned  home. 

Mutual  inroads  of  no  particular  note  continually 
occurred.  In  1380,  William,  Earl  Douglas,  with 
twenty  thousand  men  invaded  England  while  a  large 
fair  was  bein^  held  at  Penrith  and  returned  home 
with  great  booty,  in  revenge  of  which  a  part  of  fifteen 
thousand  English  under  Lord  Talbot  soon  after  en- 
tered Scotland,  near  the  Solway,  but  were  met  in  a 
narrow  defile  and  defeated,  great  numbers  being  slain 
or  drowned  in  the  Esk.  In  1383  the  Scots  took  the 
castle  of  Wark,  and  the  year  after  the  Duke  of  Lan- 
caster invaded  Scotland,  going  as  far  as  Edinburgh, 
but  was  obliged  by  hard  weather  and  want  of  pro- 
visions to  return. 

In  1385,  Richard  II,  with  an  army  of  sixty  thou- 
sand, entered  the  country  by  the  east  coast,  burnt 
Edinburgh,  Perth,  Dundee  and  some  other  places 
and  returned  home,  while  at  the  same  time  thirty 
thousand  Scots  entered  England  by  the  western 
border,  plundered  and  laid  waste  the  country  as  far 
as  Newcastle  and  carried  home  their  booty  in  safety. 

In  1386  there  was  a  truce,  but  the  next  year  the 
Scots  made  a  successful  inroad  on  the  western  bor- 
der. In  1388  took  place  the  famous  battle  of  Otter- 
burn  elsewhere  referred  to. 


The  Border  Clans.  35 

In  1398  a  treaty  was  made  between  the  two  coun- 
tries for  redressing  all  grievances  and  appointment 
of  commissioners,  but  there  were  inroads  again  and 
in  1400  Henry  IV  entered  Scotland  with  a  numerous 
army  but  failed  in  his  attempt  against  the  castle  of 
Edinburgh  and  returned  to  Newcastle  in  about  a 
month.  In  1402  the  Earl  of  Douglas  invaded  Eng- 
land with  ten  or  twelve  thousand  men,  but  they  were 
met  and  routed  at  Homildon  by  the  Earl  of  Nor- 
thumberland. Many  Scottish  nobles  and  seven  hun 
dred  common  men  fell  in  this  fatal  engagement.  No 
person  of  note  fell  on  the  English  side  the  victory 
being  won  entirely  by  the  archers. 

In  141  7,  the  Scots  entered  England,  but  learning 
that  the  Dukes  of  Bedford  and  Exeter  were  march- 
ing toward  them  with  an  army  of  one  hundred  thou- 
sand men,  they  returned  home,  and  the  English 
leaders  judged  it  better  not  to  follow  them.  About 
this  time  Sir  Robert  Umfraville  made  great  devasta- 
tions in  Scotland  for  two  years,  burning  Hawick, 
Selkirk,  Jedburgh,  Dunbar  and  the  forests  in  Ber- 
wick and  Teviotdale. 

In  1424,  a  treaty  was  made,  and  King  James  mar- 
ried Lady  Jane  Somerset,  cousin  to  the  king  of  Eng- 
land. 

A  few  years  later,  as  the  counties  of  Northumber- 
land and  Cumberland  had  suffered  so  much  from  the 
incursions  of  the  Scots,  the  king  of  England,  at  the 
request  of  Parliament,  remitted  to  them  all  taxes  and 
debts  due  to  the  crown. 


36  The  Border  Clans. 

In  1436,  the  Earl  of  Northumberland,  with  four 
thousand  men,  advanced  toward  the  Scottish  marches, 
but  was  met  in  his  own  territories  by  Douglas,  Earl 
of  Angus,  at  the  head  of  about  the  same  number  of 
men,  and  defeated,  the  Scots  losing  about  two  hun- 
dred, while  of  the  English  fifteen  hundred  fell,  of 
whom  forty  were  knights  and  four  hundred  were 
made  prisoners.  Again  a  truce  was  made.  In  1448, 
the  Earls  of  Northumberland  and  Salisbury  destroyed 
the  towns  of  Dunbar  and  Dumfries,  and  Douglas, 
Lord  of  Balveny,  in  revenge,  burned  Alnwick  and 
spoiled  and  laid  waste  the  county  of  Cumberland. 
In  retaliation,  the  Earl  of  Northumberland  led  a  con- 
siderable army  over  the  western  march,  who  were 
met  near  the  river  Sark  by  the  Scots,  when  a  bloody 
battle  ensued  wherein  the  Scots  were  again  victori- 
ous. Three  thousand  English  are  said  to  have  been 
slain  or  drowned  in  their  flight  in  the  Frith  of  Sol- 
way.  The  loss  on  the  side  of  the  Scots  was  six  hun- 
dred men. 

In  1459,  James  II  raised  an  army  to  recover  Rox- 
burgh and  some  other  places  that  had  been  long  held 
by  the  English,  but  was  killed  by  the  bursting  of  a 
cannon.  The  queen  continued  the  siege  until  the 
garrison  surrendered,  and  then  laid  waste  the  Eng- 
lish marches  to  a  considerable  extent.  In  1464,  the 
Earl  of  Warwick  burned  Jedburgh,  Lochmaben  and 
many  other  places.  In  1482,  the  Duke  of  Gloucester, 
the  Duke  of  Albany  and  the  Earl  of  Northumber- 
land, with  twenty-two  thousand  five  hundred  men, 


The  Border  Clans.  2>7 

advanced  as  far  as  Edinburgh,  where  the  nobiHty 
had  risen  against  the  king,  A  treaty  was  carried  on 
by  the  latter  and  a  truce  concluded,  in  which  the 
town  of  Berwick  was  given  up  to  England. 

In  1497  Henry  VII,  raised  a  considerable  force 
for  a  war  with  Scotland,  but  was  detained  by  an  in- 
surrection in  Cornwall,  when  the  kine  of  Scotland 
seized  the  opportunity  of  entering  England  and  rav- 
aged the  country  as  far  as  Norham,  when  hearing  of 
the  approach  of  the  English  army  he  led  back  his 
own  and  was  followed  by  Surrey,  who  took  the  small 
castle  of  Ayton,  but  a  negotiation  for  peace  put  a 
stop  to  further  progress. 

In  1 5 13  a  party  of  English  made  an  inroad  and 
carried  off  considerable  booty,  and  soon  after  Lord 
Hume,  Warden  of  all  the  marches,  invaded  England 
at  the  head  of  about  three  thousand  horsemen,  but 
on  his  return  was  met  in  an  ambush  by  Sir  William 
Bulmer  and  defeated.  The  Scotch  kinof  eaeer  to 
avenge  the  defeat  of  his  warden  invaded  England, 
took  Norham  and  other  castles  and  collected  much 
booty,  but  King  James  wasted  his  time  at  Ford  with 
the  beautiful  Lady  Heron,  so  that  the  provisions 
began  to  fail  and  the  army  was  exposed  to  continual 
rains.  For  this  reason  and  to  carry  back  their  spoils 
great  numbers  of  the  common  men  deserted  and  the 
army  gradually  melted  away  until  there  remained 
not  over  thirty  thousand  when  the  English  army  of 
about  the  same  number  appeared.  King  James  IV 
who  was  a  brave  man  but  not  a  general,  against  the 


38  The  Border  Clans. 

advice  of  his  friends,  charged  on  foot  in  the  thickest 
of  the  battle,  and  when  he  perceived  that  the  day 
was  lost,  seeing  his  standard  bearer.  Sir  Adam  For- 
man,  fall  he  pressed  into  the  middle  of  his  enemies 
by  whom  he  was  slain  The  loss  of  the  Scotch  at 
this  battle  of  Flodden  was  ten  thousand  according 
to  an  original  gazette  preserved  in  the  Herald's  Col- 
lege, London,  and  Polydore  Virgil  says  the  English 
lost  five  thousand. 

About  two  months  after,  in  November,  15 13,  Lords 
Dacre  and  D'Arcy  invaded  the  country  at  the  head 
of  three  thousand  horse  and  three  hundred  infantry, 
burned  Rowcastle*  and  Langton  on  the  Teviot, 
and  collected  considerable  booty,  but  on  the  appear- 
ance of  Lord  Hume  with  about  two  thousand  fol- 
lowers the  English  retired. 

Short  truces,  sometimes  of  two  or  three  years  were 
constantly  made  and  almost  as  frequently  broken. 

I  have  previously  mentioned  the  principal  inroads 
made  by  the  English  in  this  century  and  will  only 
add  that  in  November,  1542,  a  Scottish  army  entered 
England,  but  they  had  hardly  crossed  the  border  at 
Solway  Moss  when  an  order  was  read  from  the  king 
appointing  his  favorite,  Oliver  Sinclair,  generalissimo. 
This  was  received  with  the  most  extreme  disapproba- 
tion, many  of  the  nobles  declaring  that  they  would 
immediately  return  home,  and  the  whole  army,  agi- 
tated with  the  discussion  became  a  disorderly  mob. 
At  this  crisis  two  English  leaders  appeared  and,  be- 

*This  castle  belonged  at  one  time  to  the  Dicksons. 


The  Border  Clans.  39 

coming  sensible  of  the  situation,  attacked  the  Scottish 
camp.  There  was  not  the  semblance  of  an  engage- 
ment, for  to  fight  might  have  been  to  secure  a  victory 
for  the  king's  detested  favorite.  Upwards  of  a  thou- 
sand yielded  without  striking  a  blow,  and  the  rest, 
throwing  away  the  weapons  which  they  would  not 
use,  fled  in  disorder.  The  loss  of  killed,  wounded 
and  prisoners  was  over  three  thousand  men,  besides 
which  many  were  swallowed  up  in  the  morass. 

The  last  battle  of  any  importance  was  that  of 
Pinkie,  near  Edinburgh,  in  1547,  where  the  English 
had  the  advantage  of  the  ground  and  the  assistance 
of  their  fleet,  and  as  they  made  good  use  of  the  can- 
non, both  of  the  field  and  of  the  fleet,  the  Scots  were 
seized  with  a  sudden  panic,  and  fled  in  disorder,  los- 
ing some  two  thousand  taken  prisoners  and  over  ten 
thousand  slain. 

In  1587,  the  Borderers  again  broke  out  into  open 
hostility.  Six  successive  forays  swept  with  relent- 
less havoc  through  the  middle  marches,  and  Sir  Cuth- 
bert  Collingwood,  the  English  warden,  found  him- 
self too  weak  to  restrain  the  incursions  of  Cessford, 
Fernihurst,  Bothwell  and  Angus.  In  a  piteous  let- 
ter to  the  Secretary,  Walsingham,  he  described  the 
country  as  having  been  reduced  to  a  desert,  wasted 
with  fire  and  sword  and  filled  with  lamentation  and 
dismay  ;  but  so  inadequate  was  the  assistance  he 
received  that  Buccleugh,  Cessford  and  Johnstone, 
with  a  force  of  two  thousand  men,  attacked  him  in 
his  castle  of  Eslington,  slew  seventeen  of  the  garri- 


40  The  Border  Clans. 

son,  took  one  of  his  sons  prisoner,  and  but  for  the 
fieetness  of  his  horse  would  have  taken  the  warden 
himself. 

In  1596,  the  English  warden  arrested  Kinmont 
Willie,  a  chief  of  the  Armstrongs,  on  the  evening  of 
a  day  of  truce,  an  act  both  illegal  and  dishonorable, 
and  Scot  of  Buccleugh  demanded  that  he  should  be 
surrendered.  The  request  being  refused,  Buccleugh, 
with  a  chosen  band  of  mounted  followers,  stormed 
Carlisle  Castle  and  took  the  prisoner  back  to  Scot- 
land. As  he  returned  home,  carrying  the  prisoner 
weighed  down  by  his  chains,  which  they  had  not  had 
time  to  remove,  and  with  all  Carlisle  at  his  heels,  he 
came  to  the  swollen  river. 

"Buccleugh  has  turn'd  to  Eden  water, 
Even  where  it  flowed  frae  bank  to  brim, 
And  he  has  plunged  in  wi'  a'  his  band 
And  safely  swam  them  through  the  stream. 

He  turn'd  him  on  the  other  side 
And  at  Lord  Scroope  his  glove  flung  he  — 
'  If  ye  like  na  my  visit  in  merry  England, 
In  fair  Scotland  come  visit  me.' 

All  sore  astonished  stood  Lord  Scroope, 
He  stood  as  still  as  rock  of  stane ; 
He  scarcely  dared  to  trew  his  eyes, 
When  thro'  the  water  they  had  gane. 

'  He  is  either  himsell  a  devil  frae  hell, 
Or  else  his  mother  a  witch  maun  be; 
I  wadna  have  ridden  that  wan  water 
For  a'  the  gowd  in  Christentie.'  " 

Queen  Elizabeth  demanded  his  surrender,  and  the 
king  was  finally  induced  to  give  him  up. 


The  Border  Clans.  41 

When  he  appeared  before  the  Queen,  who  loved 
bold  actions,  even  in  her  enemies,  she  demanded  of 
him  fiercely  how  he  had  dared  to  storm  her  castle,  to 
which  the  border  baron,  nothing  daunted,  replied  — 
"  What,  Madam,  is  there  that  a  brave  man  may  not 
dare  ? "  Turning  to  her  courtiers,  the  Queen,  pleased 
with  his  reply,  exclaimed  :  "  With  ten  thousand  such 
men  our  brother  of  Scotland  might  shake  the  firmest 
throne  in  Europe." 

The  Elliot  ballad,  sometimes  called  their  Gather- 
ing, referring  to  Queen  Mary  of  Scotland,  must  not 
be  forgotten  — 

''  I  have  vanquished  the  Queen's  lieutenant, 
And  made  his  fierce  troopers  to  flee  — 
My  name  is  little  Jock  Eliot 

An'  wha  daur  meddle  wi'  me  ? 

I  ride  on  my  fleetfooted  grey, 

My  sword  hanging  down  by  my  knee  — 

I  ne'er  was  afraid  of  a  foe, 

Then  wha  daur  meddle  wi'  me  ?  " 

Only  one  other  verse  has  been  preserved  — 

"  In  raids  I  rode  always  the  foremost, 
My  straik  is  the  first  in  melee  — 
My  name  is  little  Jock  Eliot 

Then  wha  daur  meddle  wi'  me  ?  " 

The  brave  old  baron,  John  Elliot  of  Park,  who  had 
wounded  the  Earl  of  Bothwell,  Queen  Mary's  lieu- 
tenant, evidently  did  not  believe  in  the  Divine  Right 
of  kings  —  to  govern  wrongly. 

Leslie,  bishop  of  Ross,  before  the  Reformation, 
6 


42  The  Border  Clans. 

and  whose  history  was  pubHshed  in   Rome  in  1578, 
says  of  our  marchmen  — 

"They  think  the  art  of  plundering  so  very  lawful 
that  they  never  say  over  their  prayers  more  fervently, 
or  have  more  frequent  recurrence  to  the  beads  of  their 
rosaries  than  when  they  are  setting  out  upon  an  ex- 
pedition, as  they  frequently  do,  of  fifty  or  sixty  miles, 
expecting  a  good  booty  as  the  recompense  of  their 
devotions." 

Sometimes  even  the  clergy  joined  with  their  flocks 
in  their  plundering  raids,  which  is  not  surprising 
when  we  remember  that  our  clergy  were  always  a 
very  militant  one.  In  1306,  the  chaplain  of  King 
Robert  Bruce,  who  was  taken  fighting  at  the  battle 
of  Methven  was  hanged,  and  the  bishops  of  St.  An- 
drews and  Glasgow  were  sent  prisoners  to  England 
in  the  coats  of  armor  which  they  wore  when  taken, 
and  at  the  battle  of  Flodden  the  archbishop  of  St. 
Andrews  (a  natural  son  of  the  king),  the  bishop  of 
the  Isles,  the  abbots  of  Kilwinning  and  Inchaffrey 
and  others  were  among  the  slain.  The  statutes  of 
James  IV  and  V,  concerning  wapenschawings 
(weapon  showings  or  reviews)  show  that  the  tenants 
of  church  land  had  no  exemption,  and  as  late  as  the 
time  of  Mary  it  was  ordained  that  when  a  clergyman 
was  slain  in  battle  or  died  in  the  camp,  his  nearest 
relation  should  have  the  benefice. 

It  has  been  computed  that  before  the  Reformation 
about  one-half  of  the  wealth  of  Scotland  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  clergy. 


The  Border  Clans.  43 

The  following  is  said  to  have  been  a  prayer  of  the 
English  Borderers  — 

"  He  that  ordain'd  us  to  be  born 
Send  us  more  meat  for  the  morn 
Part  of  't  right  and  part  of  't  wrang, 
God  never  let  us  fast  ov'r  lang, 
God  be  thanked  and  our  Lady, 
All  is  done  that  we  had  ready." 

Froissart's  description  of  the  Borderers  is  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

"  Englishmen  on  the  one  party  and  Scotchmen  on 
the  other  party,  are  good  men  of  war  ;  for  when  they 
meet  there  is  a  hard  fight  without  sparring ;  there  is 
no  hoo  (cessation  for  parley)  between  them  as  long 
as  spears,  swords,  axes  or  daggers  will  endure  ;  but 
they  lay  on  each  upon  other,  and  when  they  be  well 
beaten,  and  that  the  one  party  hath  obtained  the  vic- 
tory, then  they  glorify  so  in  their  deeds  of  arms,  and 
are  so  joyful,  that  such  as  be  taken  they  shall  -be 
ransomed  ere  they  go  out  of  the  field  ;  so  that  at 
their  departing  courteously  they  will  say  '  God  thank 
you.'  But  in  fighting  one  with  another,  there  is  no 
play  nor  sparring." 

Another  old  writer,  quoted  by  Sir  Walter  Scott, 
says  of  the  Scots,  and  it  applied  as  well  to  the  Eng- 
lish, "  that  they  would  not  betray  any  man  that  trusts 
in  them  for  all  the  gold  in  England  or  France,"  and 
Robert  Constable,  an  English  spy,  says  in  1569  of 
his  Scotch  companions  :  "  They  are  my  guides,  and 
outlaws  who  might  gain  their  pardon  by  surrendering 
me,  yet  I  am  secure  of  their  fidelity  and  have  often 


44  The  Border  Clans. 

proved  it;"  and  Scott,  in  his  Border  Antiquities, 
says  the  marchmen  were  "  of  all  others  the  most  true 
of  faith  to  whatever  they  had  pledged  their  indi- 
vidual word.  When  a  Borderer  made  a  prisoner  he 
esteemed  it  wholly  unnecessary  to  lead  him  into 
actual  confinement.  He  simply  accepted  his  word 
to  be  a  true  prisoner,  and  named  a  time  and  place 
where  he  expected  him  to  come  and  treat  for  his 
ransom." 

If  any  one  broke  his  word  so  plighted,  the  indi- 
vidual to  whom  faith  had  not  been  observed  used  to 
bring  to  the  next  border  meeting  a  glove  hung  on 
the  point  of  a  spear,  and  proclaim  to  Scotch  and  to 
English  the  name  of  the  offender.  This  was  con- 
sidered so  great  a  disgrace  to  all  connected  with  him 
that  his  own  clan  sometimes  slew  him. 

At  the  bloody  battle  of  Otterburn  in  1388,  the 
Scotch  leader,  the  Earl  of  Douglas,  was  slain,  but 
the  English  were  totally  defeated,  and  their  com- 
mander. Hotspur,  son  of  the  Earl  of  Northumber- 
land, and  about  one  thousand  others  were  taken 
prisoners. 

Froissart  says  "  when  the  Scots  saw  the  English 
were  discomfited  and  surrendering  on  all  sides,  they 
behaved  courteously  toward  them,  saying  '  sit  down 
and  disarm  yourselves  for  I  am  your  master,'  but 
never  insulted  them  more  than  if  they  had  been 
brothers;"  and  Hume  of  Godscroft  adds:  "  Froy- 
sard  (a  stranger  and  favouring  more  the  English) 
concluded,  touching  this    battle,  that  in  all  history 


The  Border  Clans.  45 

there  is  none  so  notable  by  the  virtue  of  the  captains 
and  the  valor  of  the  soldiers  *  *  *  for  in  the 
heat  of  the  conflict  no  men  ever  fought  more  fiercely, 
in  the  victory  obtained  none  ever  behaved  themselves 
more  mercifully  ;  taking  prisoners,  and,  having  taken 
them,  using  them  as  their  dearest  friends,  in  all 
humanity,  courtesy,  gentleness,  tenderness,  curing 
their  wounds,  sending  them  home,  some  free  with- 
out ransom,  some  on  small  ransom,  almost  all  on 
their  single  word  and  promise  to  return  at  certain 
times  appointed,  or  when  they  should  be  called 
upon." 

The  border  penalties  were  short  and  sharp.  Those 
accused  of  march  treason  were  tried  by  jury,  and,  if 
found  guilty,  were  decapitated ;  but  with  the  ma- 
rauders of  either  country  the  wardens  used  much  less 
ceremony,  for  they  were  frequently  hanged  in  great 
numbers,  without  any  process  of  law  whatever. 
There  was  an  old  proverb  in  Scotland  of  Jedburgh 
justice,  where  men  were  said  to  be  hanged  first  and 
tried  afterward.  In  England  this  was  called  Lyd- 
ford  law  — 

"  I  off  have  heard  of  Lydford  law  — 
How  in  the  morn  they  hang  and  draw,* 
And  sit  in  judgment  after" — 

but,  turning  again  to  Leslie,  speaking  of  the  Scots, 
"  althouMi  some  thinors  are  to  be  noted  to  their  dis- 
praise,  yet  there  are  others  to  be  greatly  admired  ; 

*  Traitors,  false  coiners,  etc.,  were  often  drawn  or  disembowelled 
in  England. 


46  The  Border  Clans. 

for  most  of  them,  when  determined  upon  seeking 
their  supplies  from  the  plunder  of  the  neighboring 
districts,  use  the  greatest  precautions  not  to  shed  the 
blood  of  those  who  oppose  them,  for  they  have  a 
persuasion  that  all  property  is  common  by  the  law  of 
nature,  and,  therefore,  liable  to  be  appropriated  by 
them  in  their  necessity,  but  that  murder  and  other 
injuries  are  prohibited  by  the  Divine  law,  and  if 
taken  prisoners  their  eloquence  is  so  powerful,  and 
the  sweetness  of  their  language  so  winning,  that  they 
even  can  move  both  judges  and  accusers,  however 
severe  before,  if  not  to  mercy,  at  least  to  admiration 
and  compassion." 

Besides  our  ordinary  jails  there  seem  to  have  been 
a  sort  of  honorable  ones,  in  some  places  at  least,  for 
in  1597  James  VI  made  a  vigorous  attempt  against 
certain  broken  clans,  Armstrongs,  Johnstones,  Bells, 
Batisons,  Carlisles  and  Irvings.  He  came  to  Dum- 
fries, and  in  the  course  of  four  weeks  hanged  four- 
teen or  fifteen  men,  and  took  one  or  two  of  the 
principal  men  of  each  branch  of  those  clans  as 
"  pledges  "  that  all  plunder  committed  by  their  par- 
ticular branches  should  be  redressed.  For  the  re- 
ception of  such  persons  in  general  there  was  a 
"pledge  chalmer  (hostage  chamber)."  On  this 
occasion,  however,  the  pledges,  thirty-six  in  number, 
were  distributed  over  His  Majesty's  houses,  where 
it  was  ordained  they  should  each  pay  13s.  4d.  weekly 
for  their  maintenance. 


The  Border  Clans.  47 

If  the  leading  men  generally  managed  to  escape, 
althouofh  — 

"  Five  times  outlawed  by 

England's  King  and  Scotland's  Queen," 

the  retainers,  as  already  shown,  were  not  always  so 
fortunate,  and  usually,  taking  it  almost  as  a  matter 
of  course  and  better  than  dying  in  their  beds,  when 
led  out  to  execution  listened  calmly  to  the  priest  as 
he  recited  the  so-called  Neck-verse,*  or  Fifty-first 
Psalm  in  an  unknown  tongue  (Latin),  vainly  believ- 
ing that  his  prayers  could  save  them. 

How  different  would  it  have  been  could  they  have 
heard  in  their  own  dear  Scotch  those  beautiful  words 
which  years  ago  I  read  by  the  request  and  at  the 
bedside  of  a  very  dear  friend  who  soon  after  passed 
away  so  happily,  trusting  not  in  the  cross  but  in  Him 
who  died  upon  it,  and  confessing  to  Him  alone 
needed  no  other  intercessor  with  a  God  of  Love. 

"  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  Lord,  according  to  thy  loving  kind- 
ness; according  to  the  multitude  of  thy  tender  mercies  blot  out  all 
my  transgressions. 

Wash  me  thoroughly  from  mine  iniquity  and  cleanse  me  from  my 
sin. 

For  I  acknowledge  my  transgressions  and  my  sin  is  ever  before 
me." 

Although  the  Borderers  occasionally  acted  as  in- 
fantry they  were  so  much  accustomed  to  act  on  horse- 
back that  they  considered  it  even  mean  to  appear 
otherwise.  They  generally  acted  as  light  cavalry 
riding   small    sure-footed    horses    who    could    move 

*  Because  said  when  the  halter  was  on  their  necks. 


48  The  Border  Clans. 

through  the  swamps  and  morasses  like  water-fowl, 
and  clamber  like  goats  across  a  mountain  pass,  or  up 
the  bed  of  a  torrent  in  the  darkest  night  and  through 
the  wildest  storm.  With  wonderful  ingenuity  they 
had  trained  their  horses  to  go  upon  morasses  by 
throwing  themselves  on  their  bellies  and  their  hoofs, 
and  thus  gaining  an  artificial  breadth  of  support,  to 
cross  by  short  floundering  leaps,  ground  in  which 
ordinary  horses  were  instantly  bogged. 

If  the  blaze  of  their  beacon  fires  gave  notice  of 
the  approach  of  an  English  army  thousands  would 
assemble  in  a  single  day.  The  knights  and  esquires 
being  mounted  on  able  steeds,  the  rest  on  their  hardy 
nags.  Each  man  carried  a  little  bag  of  oatmeal 
trussed  behind  him  and  a  griddle  for  baking  his 
crakenel  attacked  to  the  crupper  of  his  saddle,  and 
they  frequently  rode  in  a  single  night  or  day  for 
twenty  four  miles  together  without  bread  or  wine. 
The  rivers  served  for  drink  and  the  cattle  taken 
afforded  meat,  and  instead  of  burdening  themselves 
with  pots  they  seethed  their  meats  in  the  raw  skins 
of  the  animals,  pouring  water  into  the  bags  so  formed 
and  suspending  them  upon  stakes  over  the  fire  or 
roasted  their  beaf  on  spit  racks  before  the  fire. 

The  remark  "  without  wine  "  may  appear  singular, 
but  it  would  seem  that  its  use  was  common,  for  Bar- 
bour, writing  in  1375,  that  Edward  the  Third's  army 
when  they  invaded  Scotland  in  1356,  fell  short  of 
provisions,  says  "  and  in  particular  for  fifteen  days 
his  army  had  no  other  drink  but  water,"  and  Hall 


The  Border  Clans.  49 

speaking  of  the  battle  of  Flodden,  in  1513,  says  of 
the  EngHsh  that  they  had  no  victuals,  "and  for  two 
days  before  they  had  only  drank  water." 

In  1490,  when  the  Scottish  admiral,  Wood,  at- 
tacked the  English  admiral,  Bull,  his  orders  were  : 
"  Charge  gunners  ;  let  the  cross-bows  be  ready  ;  lime- 
pots  and  fire-balls  to  the  tops;  two-handed  swords 
to  the  fore-rooms.  *  *  *  Wine  was  then  dealt 
round." 

Although  this  was  not  a  border  fight,  still  it  should 
not  be  forgotten.  Five  English  ships  had  entered 
the  Forth  and  despoiled  some  Scottish  merchantmen. 
Sir  Andrew  Wood  of  Largo,  with  his  two  ships,  the 
Flower  and  the  Yellow  Carvel,  attacked  and  took 
the  whole  five  vessels.  All  were  provided  with 
artillery.  Henry  VII  offered  a  large  reward  to  any 
one  who  would  capture  Wood,  and  Stephen  Bull 
with  his  three  ships  agreed  to  do  so,  and  met  the 
Scot  off  the  coast  of  Fife  in  August.  The  combat 
continued  undecided  from  morning  until  night  and 
was  renewed  the  following  day,  when  at  length  the 
valor  and  seamanship  of  Wood  prevailed.  The 
three  English  ships  were  captured  and  taken  into 
Dundee,  where  the  wounded  were  properly  attended 
to,  and  King  James,  besides  bestowing  gifts  upon 
the  English  admiral  and  his  men,  sent  them  home 
with  their  ships  as  a  present  to  King  Henry ! 

On  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  the  Scots  were 
commanded  by  act  of  Parliament  to  "  birne  baillies," 
a  term  equivalent  to  the  English  bale-fires,  or  fires 
7 


50  The  Border  Clans. 

to  Baal,  but  which  were  afterward  applied  to  signal 
or  alarm  fires,  as  "  Beil  fyris." 

And  here  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  give  some 
notice  of  the  religion  of  our  ancestors,  even  the  pre- 
historic, for  a  history  of  the  borders  would  be 
almost  incomplete  without  it. 

The  great  Pagan  divinity,  the  sun,  was  worshipped 
all  the  world  over  with  candles  and  torches  in  the 
temples  and  houses,  and  with  fire  in  the  open  air, 
and  was  probably  almost  as  universally  known  as 
Baal  or  Bel,  Lord. 

Tammuz,  the  sun-god,  for  whom  the  women  wept 
(Ezekiel  viii  :  14)  was  the  same  as  the  Latin  Bacchus, 
the  Lamented,  from  the  Phoenician  bakkah,  to  weep. 
The  Romans  had  their  Baal  Jupiter  (Jupiter  Belenus) 
and  their  Baal  Apollo  (Apollo  Belus).  The  Phoeni- 
cians worshipped  him  as  Baal  Samen,  Lord  of 
Heaven,  and  in  Ireland  he  was  worshipped  as  Beuill 
Samhan.  The  night  of  Halloween  is  called  in  Erse, 
Oidche  Samhna,  and  in  Gaelic,  Samhuinn.  Jerome, 
who  lived  in  Palestine  when  the  rites  of  Tammuz 
were  still  observed,  in  his  Commentary  o?i  Ezekiel, 
expressly  identifies  him  with  Adonis  (Adon,  Lord), 
who  was  the  same  as  the  Northern  Odin  and  the 
Mexican  Wodan,  where  he  was  also  known  as  Baal, 
or  Bel. 

His  wife  Astarte^  the  Ashtoreth  of  the  Bible,  and 
Ishtar  of  Nineveh,  worshipped  by  the  Saxons  as 
Oster,  by  the  Anglo  Saxons  as  Eoster,  and  called  by 
English  churchmen  Easter,  was  also  worshipped  as 


The  Border  Clans.  51 

Beltis,  the  Lady  {Madojtna  /),  and  from  her  the 
Easter  fires  made  in  Scotland,  even  until  the  present 
century,  were  called  Beltane,  Beltis's  fire,  and  May 
day  is  still  called  Beltane. 

The  early  Christians  soon  commenced  to  amal- 
gamate the  Pagan  festivals  with  their  own,  and  as 
early  as  A.  D.  58,  Paul  upbraided  the  Galatians  for 
observing  days  and  months  and  times  and  years,  for 
they  were  already  replacing  the  feasts  of  the  demi- 
gods and  heroes,  by  Saints  and  Martyrs.  Less  than 
two  centuries  after,  TertuUian  asked  why  Easter  was 
celebrated,  and  Socrates,  the  Church  Historian  (fifth 
century),  said  that  neither  the  Saviour  nor  His 
Apostles  had  enjoined  us  to  keep  it,  but  that  it 
seemed  to  him  to  have  crept  in  from  some  old  usage  — 
and  what  was  that  old  usage  except  the  Feast  of 
Astarte  ? 

The  question  of  the  time  of  keeping  Easter  long 
ao-itated  the  Christian  Community,  and  it  was  only 
settled  in  England  by  a  Council  in  664,  according  to 
the  Roman  method,  because  as  Bishop  Short  says 
"  both  parties  agreed  that  St.  Peter  kept  the  keys  of 
heaven,  and  that  he  had  used  the  Roinan  method  of 
comptiting.''  (The  Italics  are  mine.)  Half  a  century 
later  the  Picts  were  also  induced  to  adopt  the  Roman 
method. 

The  Paeans  made  their  fires  to  Beltis  on  the  first 
of  May,  which  is  probably  the  true  date  of  the  feast 
of  "Our  Lady"  Astarte,  the  Syrian  Venus,  the 
Egyptian  Isis.     As  Aphrodite  her  solemnities  were 


52  The  Border  Clans. 

celebrated  in  April.  No  bloody  sacrifices  were 
allowed  to  be  offered,  but  ov\y  pure  fire,  flowers  and 
incense!  The  festival  of  Flora,  the  goddess  of 
flowers,  was  also  solemnized  in  the  same  manner, 
from  the  28th  of  April  to  the  2nd  of  May,  and  does 
not  the  Roman  Church,  and  alas,  part  of  the  English 
still  continue  to  offer  these  candles,  flowers  and 
incense  to  the  Madonna  —  Our  Lady?  Why  do 
they  not  also  retain  the  true  date  instead  of  depend- 
ing upon  that  mysterious  "  Full  moon  which  happens 
upon  or  next  after  the  21st  day  of  March,"  which 
may  fix  Easter  as  early  as  the  22nd  of  that  month, 
or  as  late  as  the  25th  of  April  ? 

The  British  Christians  continued  to  extinguish 
their  fires  and  light  them  again  afresh  with  so-called 
"sacred"  fire,  obtained  from  the  priests,  long  after 
the  Pagan  and  Roman  festivals  were  amalgamated.* 

At  the  Reformation  our  established  church  of  Scot- 
land abolished  the  observance  of  Easter  day,  but  the 
church  of  England  (who  are  dissenters  in  Scotland) 
not  only  retained  it,  but  even  made  all  the  other  feasts 
of  their  calendar  depend  upon  it  ;  in  relation  to  which 
it  may  be  added  that  there  is  no  authority  whatever 
for  feasts  or  fasts  in  the  New  Te.stament. 

No  one  can  tell  even  the  season  of  the  year,  much 
less  the  day,  in  which  our  most   blessed   Lord  was 

*It  must  be  explained  here,  that  before  the  days  of  friction 
matches  in  the  first  half  of  the  present  century,  so  difficult  was  it  to 
kindle  a  fire  with  flint  and  steel,  that  fires  were  never  extinguished 
at  night,  but  the  wood  embers  were  covered  with  ashes,  so  that  the 
live  coals  could  be  raked  out  in  the  morning. 


The  Border  Clans.  53 

born,  but  it  was  not  in  the  winter  for  shepherds  do 
not  remain  in  the  fields  at  night  then,  but  about  the 
year  380,  the  Roman  church  amalgamated  the  nativity 
of  our  Lord  with  the  Saturnalia  or  pagan  festival  of 
Saturn,  the  Etruscan  name  of  the  sun-god.  For  this 
the  authority  is  undoubted.  Chrysostom,  in  a  homily 
delivered  about  the  year  386,  says  "  It  is  not  yet  ten 
years  since  the  day  was  made  known  to  us,"  and  in 
homily  No.  31,  he  says  it  was  done  "in  order  that 
while  the  pagans  were  occupied  with  their  profane 
ceremonies,  the  christians  might  perform  their  holy 
rites  undisturbed ! " 

Our  church  also  abolished  the  observance  of  this 
festival,  but  the  church  of  England  still  observe  the 
day  which  the  Romans  consecrated  as  the  birth-day 
of  the  unconquered  ^wn  —  Natalis  invictis  solis  ! 

During  the  carousals  at  the  winter  solstice  the  old 
Romans  made  one  of  the  slaves  Lord  of  the  House- 
hold and  in  Scotland  we  had  an  Abbot  of  Unreason 
until  the  Reformation.  In  England,  however,  they 
did  not  give  up  their  Lord  of  Misrule  until  Christmas 
was  abolished  by  act  of  parliament  in  1644. 

As  regards  Lent  it  had  originally  nothing  to  do 
with  our  Lord's  forty  days  in  the  desert,  but  was  es- 
tablished by  a  pope  about  A.  D.  130,  as  a  fast  of 
thirty-six  days,  or  a  tithe  of  the  year,  and  was  only 
settled  at  forty  days  by  Pope  Felix  III,  A.  D.  487, 
but  the  four  additional  days  were  not  generally  ac- 
cepted, and  it  was  not  until  as  late  as  the  eleventh 
century  that  a  Lent  of  forty  days  was  recognized  in 


54  The  Border  Clans. 

Scotland,  and  a  few  centuries  after  we  got  rid  of  it 
altogether. 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  the  Reformation  was  more 
perfect  in  Scotland  than  in  England,  for  while  the 
English  church,  as  well  as  the  Lutheran,  retained  the 
celebration  of  Christmas,  and  other  festivals,  our 
church  rejected  them  absolutely,  denouncing  the  ob- 
servance of  all  such  days  except  the  Lord's  day  as 
superstitious  and  unscriptural, 

Scotland  has  reason  to  be  thankful  to  her  reform- 
ers. They  probably  believed  that  our  Saviour's  fast 
of  forty  days  was  part  of  his  temptations  and  there- 
fore no  rule  for  us,  for  it  was  only  when  He  was 
weak  with  hunger  that  the  evil  one  made  proposals 
to  Him,  and  they  must  also  have  perceived  that 
although  our  Saviour  spoke  to  the  Jews  about  their 
fast  He  never  told  His  disciples  to  fast,  neither  did 
He  recommend  fasting.  Mark  does  not  even  men- 
tion our  Lord's  forty  days. 

The  compilers  of  the  English  Prayer  Book  could 
not  find  a  single  epistle  for  their  great  day,  which 
they  still  called  by  its  Romish  name.  Ash  Wednesday, 
and  had  to  fall  back  upon  one  of  the  lesser  prophets 
of  the  Old  Testament,  without  reminding  the  people 
that  Joel  foresaw  an  impending  great  drought  and 
plague  of  locusts,  and  for  that  reason  exhorted  the 
Jews  to  fast,  and  this  exhortation  for  this  particular 
fast  only,  is  still  given  as  an  authority  for  a  stated  fast 
of  forty  days  in  every  year,  even  should  Lent  occur 
at  a  most  prosperous  season,  and  at  a  time,  therefore. 


The  Border  Clans.  55 

especially  adapted  not  for  mourning  but  on  the  con- 
trary for  thanksgiving  ! 

The  redeeming  point  of  the  Prayer  Book  is  its 
thirty-nine  articles  and  the  prayers  and  collects,  but 
unfortunately  while  in  our  kirk  the  New  Testament 
is  the  guide,  in  the  English  kirk  it  is  the  calendar, 
in  which  Pagan  feasts  and  fasts,  under  Christian 
names,  abound,  and  the  dates,  with  perhaps  a  very. 
few  exceptions,  are  all  fictitious  ;  as,  for  instance, 
St.  James'  day  is  celebrated  in  the  Greek  church  on 
the  30th  April,  and  by  the  Armenian  on  the  28th 
December,  but  in  the  thirteenth  century  it  pleased 
a  pope  to  declare  that  it  should  be  on  the  25th 
July,  and  accordingly  the  church  of  England  still 
celebrate  it  on  that  day.  The  Greek  church  ob- 
serve St.  Mark's  day  on  the  nth  January,  and 
the  Coptic  on  the  23rd  September,  and  as  St. 
Mark  is  said  to  have  been  martyred  in  Alexandria, 
it  would  seem  if  either  is  the  true  date  that  the 
Coptic  is  the  real  one.  However,  a  pope  decreed 
that  it  should  be  April  25,  and  so  it  remains  in  the 
English  calendar,  where,  too,  they  boldly  acknowl- 
edge the  Roman  Madonna  and  Queen  of  Heaven  as 
their  Lady  also  !  In  the  Lessons  Proper  for  Holy 
Days  we  read  "Annunciation  of  our  Lady  ! " 

In  Pagan  Rome  the  25th  of  March  was  the  day 
observed  in  honor  of  Cybele,  the  Great  Mother  of 
the  Gods,  and  in  the  seventh  century  its  name  was 
changed  to  the  Annunciation,  and  that  day  is  still 
observed  by  the   English  church,  although  no  one 


56  The  Border  Clans. 

knows  when  the  Angel  Gabriel  made  the  announce- 
ment. 

The  ancient  Romans  held  a  feast  on  the  ist  or  2nd 
of  February  to  Juno  Februata,  which  was  celebrated 
with  candles  and  torches,  and  Moresin  says  that  in 
Scotland  the  people  used  to  run  about  the  mountains 
with  lighted  torches  like  the  Sicilian  women  in  search 
of  Proserpine.  In  526  (some  say  540)  the  pope 
ordained  that  they  should  close  the  festival  by  going 
to  the  churches  and  offering  up  their  candles  to  the 
Virgin.  It  was,  therefore,  called  Candle-Mass,  and 
Juno's  day  is  still  celebrated  by  English  churchmen 
as  the  Day  of  the  Purification  !  These  are  but  speci- 
mens. 

When  the  Prayer  Book  was  revised  in  Ireland  a  few 
years  ago  they  swept  away  nearly  all  the  feasts  and 
fasts,  but  Cybele's  Day  {Our  Lady  of  the  Annuncia- 
tion) and  Juno's  {Our  Lady  of  the  Purification)  are 
Red  Letter  Days,  or  First-Class  Festivals  (!  !)  of  the 
Protestant  church  of  England,  with  special  col- 
lects, epistles  and  prayers,  and  it  was  for  that  reason 
only  they  were  retained  by  the  sister  church. 

It  is  true  we  have  our  so-called  patron  saint,  and 
his  memory  is  respected  as  that  of  one  of  our  Lord's 
apostles,  but  not  revered ;  neither  is  his  day  religi- 
ously observed. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  the  so-styled  St.  Andrew's 
cross  is  a  fable  of  the  middle  ages,  for  he  is  said  to 
have  been  crucified  in  Greece,  and  in  the  Greek 
Menologies  and  in  one  or  two  Western  Martyrolo- 


The  Border  Clans.  57 

gies  he   is   depicted  as   executed  on  a  cross  of  the 
ordinary  form. 

Rivers  and  fountains  were  dedicated  to  the  sun- 
god  Tammuz,  which  accounts  for  the  many  so-called 
holy  wells  still  in  existence,  and  the  Thames,  Tamar, 
Tame  and  Teme  probably  derived  their  names  from 
him.  The  cross  (T)  was  his  initial  and  emblem, 
and  the  Druids  made  enormous  crosses  of  oak  trees, 
seeking  one  sufficiently  adapted  and  cutting  off  all 
but  the  two  principal  branches,  or  otherwise  they 
fastened  a  cross  beam  to  the  tree.  They  also  built 
cruciform  temples  and  cairns,  and  there  is  still  stand- 
ing at  Callernish  in  the  Lewis  a  Druidical  temple 
three  hundred  and  eighty  feet  long  in  the  shape  of 
what  later  became  known  as  the  lona  cross,  but 
which  is  in  reality  the  cross  of  Tammuz  surrounded 
by  his  circle  of  the  sun.  The  celebrated  cairn  at 
New  Grange,  Ireland,  is  also  cruciform. 

Although  a  Christian  church  was  established  in 
Rome  before  the  arrival  of  Paul,  the  Pagan  temples 
were  not  entirely  abolished  until  about  A.  D.  500, 
prior  to  which,  but  long  after  the  time  of  the  apos- 
tles, the  Pagan  cross  was  adopted  by  the  Roman 
church  and  called  the  cross  of  Christ  to  draw  the 
heathen  into  the  church  by  making  them  believe 
there  was  little  difference  between  the  two  religions, 
but  St.  Paul  many  years  after  our  Lord's  death 
called  it  the  emblem  of  the  curse,  and  the  second 
commandment  forbids  all  emblems  for  the  use  of 
religion. 

8 


58  The  Border  Clans. 

In  Britanny  a  Roman  Catholic  Priest  is  still  called 
by  the  old  Pagan  title,  Belek,  servant  of  Baal.  Many 
local  names  in  the  British  Isles  commence  with  the 
name.  There  was  probably  a  Druidical  temple  at 
Baltimore  in  Ireland,  for  the  name  is  evidently  Baal- 
ti-mor,  the  pfreat  house  of  Baal.  He  was  also  known 
as  Gran  or  Grian,  the  Shiner  or  Sun.  The  Cam  was 
anciently  called  Grant  and  Cambridge  Grantabryg. 
The  Irish  Druids  called  the  Zodiac  Beach  Grian,  the 
Revolution  of  Grian  and  the  Solstices  Grian  stad  or 
Grian's  stopping  places.  The  Grampians,  anciently 
Granze  bene,  are  Grian's  hills,  and  if  further  proof 
is  necessary  history  tells  us  the  Romans  adopted 
the  God's  of  other  nations,  although  it  seems  more 
probable  that  they  acknowledged  them  as  their  own 
under  other  names,  and  a  Roman  altar  was  dis- 
covered at  Musselburgh  in  the  Lowlands  in  1565, 
dedicated  to  Apollo  Granno,  and  Apollo  was  another 
form  of  the  Sun  God. 

But  the  Pagans  knew  not  who  they  worshipped. 
Bacchus  had  so  many  appellations  that  according  to 
Sophocles  he  was  called  the  many  named,  and  Isis 
was  called  Myrionyma,  the  goddess  with  ten  thou- 
sand names.  Their  wise  men  believed  that  all  the 
gods  were  originally  the  same,  it  is  expressly  so 
declared  it  the  Orphic  Hymns.  In  them  they  sang 
to  the  Universal  Zeus.  "Zeus  is  the  male,  Zeus 
is  the  immortal  female,"  and  Arnobius  tells  us  they 
sometimes  prayed  "  Oh  Baal,  whether  thou  be  a 
god  or  goddess  hear  us." 


The  Border  Clans.  59 

They  desired  to  find  the  only  God,  but  their  reli- 
gion had  become  so  fearfully  corrupted  that  they 
knew  not  where  to  seek  Him,  and  as  we  all  know  the 
learned  Athenians,  and  probably  other  nations  also, 
built  an  altar 

To  the  Unknown  God  ! 

The  place  from  which  the  Highland  Clan  Grant 
derive  their  name  is  called  Griantach,  or  Sliabh 
Grianus,  the  heath  of  Grian.  His  day  was  SuN-day, 
and  even  within  the  memory  of  man  libations  of  milk 
were  placed  on  Sundays  in  hollow  stones  called  granni 
stones,  of  which  there  was  one  in  every  village.  The 
reason  of  course  forgotten,  but  the  ceremony  main- 
tained even  as  too  many  still  honor  the  Syrian  Ve- 
nus, who  it  was  believed  was  hatched  out  of  an  ^^^. 
She  was  worshipped  at  Cyprus  under  the  form  of  a 
large  oval  stone.  Pliny  describes  what  were  consid- 
ered the  virtues  of  Astarte's  ^^'g,  and  says  the 
Druids  wore  them  made  of  chrystal  and  set  in  gold 
around  their  necks  as  badges  of  their  office.  He 
says  they  were  made  by  snakes,  and  called  snake  or 
serpent  stones  {ovum  angimi^int).  They  are  still 
sometimes  found  in  Wales,  made  generally  of  some 
glass  or  vitreous  paste,  and  are  also  called  there  to 
this  day  snake  stones  {Gleini  nadroedd^.  Two  of 
rock  chrystal  are  still  in  existence  in  Scotland,  one 
being  in  the  royal  scepter  and  the  other  is  in  the 
possession  of  a  Perthshire  family.  Hindus,  Chinese 
and  Japanese  have  their  mystic  eggs,  and  who  that 
has  visited  the   Levant  has  not  noticed  the  ostrich 


6o  The  Border  Clans. 

eggs  suspended  in  the  mosques  ?  What  then  is  the 
Easter  ^'g^  but  a  memento  of  that  impure  goddess 
Venus,  who  was  the  same  as  the  great  Diana  of  the 
Ephesians. 

Crosses  made  of  rowan,  or  mountain  ash,  are  still 
sometimes  placed  upon  cow-byres  in  the  Highlands, 
being  now  considered  a  protection  against  witches. 
The  rowan  was,  however,  a  sacred  tree  of  the  Druids, 
and  is  the  same  as  the  Scandinavian  yggdrasil,  the 
great  ash  or  mundane  tree,  the  chief  and  holiest  seat 
of  the  gods,  where  they  assembled  every  day  in  coun- 
cil. It  is  the  same  as  the  irminsul,  the  sacred  tree 
of  the  Germans,  from  which  Pagan  origin  is  derived 
their  Christbaum  and  the  English  Maypole. 

Fires  were  carried  round  the  fields  in  the  Higfh- 
lands  to  ensure  good  crops,  and  Tein  egin,  or  Need 
Fires,  were  made  when  the  cattle  were  diseased. 
These  need  fires  were  made  in  a  peculiar  manner, 
differing,  however,  slightly  in  some  districts. 

Without  doubt  all  these  practices  formerly  existed 
in  the  Lowlands,  but  they  lingered  longer  in  the  re- 
mote Highlands. 

There  are  prehistoric  relics  in  Scotland  which  have 
not  been  preserved  elsewhere,  and  which  I  ventured 
to  point  out  as  pre-christian  some  years  ago,  although 
such  origin  was  not  then,  I  think,  ever  hinted  at  by 
others. 

I  refer  to  the  standing  crosses  at  Meigle,  Glammis 
and  elsewhere,  bearing  sculptured  figures  of  serpents 
(and  Tammuz,  or  Grian  was  the  serpent  sun-god,  a 


The  Border  Clans.  6i 

corrupted  tradition  of  the  serpent  of  Paradise),  a 
boar  (sacred  to  the  sun-god,  whose  day  was  the  win- 
ter solstice,  and  although  the  animal  is  no  longer 
sacrificed,  boars'  heads  are  still  served  up  at  Windsor 
and  Oxford  on  Christmas)  ;  a  sow  (sacred  to  Frigga 
in  Scandinavia  and  to  Ceres  in  Rome)  ;  along-legged 
hound  (and  Ceridwin,  the  great  goddess  of  South 
Britain,  was  fabled  to  have  transformed  herself  into 
a  greyhound)  ;  a  centaur  with  a  battle  axe  in  each 
hand  instead  of  a  bow  ;  Venus'  looking  glass  or 
mirror  with  lily  handle  (the  lily  of  Isis  and  Juno,  and 
now  the  Roman  Catholic  emblem  of  the  Virgin), 
and  also  with  a  cross  handle  like  the  sign  of  the 
planet,  elephants,  yfi-/^^i-,  etc. 

Bacchus  was  sometimes  called  the  Fish  {BaccJms 
Ichtlms)  and  Jerome  calls  him  the  Lamented  Fish 
{Piscem  Moeroris).  The  Philistines  worshipped  him 
as  the  Fish  On  {Dag  On).  Joseph's  father-in-law 
was  Priest  of  On  (the  Sun),  whose  city  is  to  this  day 
called,  by  the  Greek  translation  of  its  Egyptian 
name  Heliopolis,  the  City  of  the  Sun. 

One  Scottish  stone  bears  a  man  and  a  woman  with 
a  tree  between  them  which  might  be  taken  for  Adam 
and  Eve,  but  there  is  a  similar  design  at  Philoe,  and 
these  two  probably  represent  the  Celtic  and  the 
Egyptian  versions  of  the  Latin  Hercules  in  the  gar- 
den of  the  Hesperides. 

Compare  also  the  man  tearing  open  the  jaws  of  the 
lion  in  Wilson's  Prehistoric  Scotland  with  the  Assyrian 
Hercules  wrestling  with  a  lion  in  Layard's  Nineveh. 


62  The  Border''  Clans. 

Where  did  our  prehistoric  fellow-countryman  ob- 
tain his  models  ?  There  were  no  lions  in  the  Land 
o'Cakes  when  that  stone  was  carved.  His  forefathers 
brought  their  traditions  from  Babylon  "  which  hath 
made  all  the  earth  drunken,"  and  they  must  have 
brought  their  drawings  too  !  But  how,  was  it  on 
their  bodies  only  ?  We  know  that  the  Caledonians 
had  their  bodies  covered  with  the  figures  of  animals 
colored  blue  with  wood,  so  that  the  Romans  called 
them  picti  or  painted  men,  and  have  we  not  relics  of 
that  custom  also.  The  Picts  painted  their  whole 
bodies  with  representations  of  different  animals,  a 
custom  that  must  have  originated  in  a  warmer  clime 
than  Caledonia.  Our  sailors  now  however  only  tat- 
too their  arms  and  sometimes  their  breasts. 

Besides  the  stationary  beacon  fires  the  Borderers 
also  formerly  sent  around  a  signal  called  the  Fyre- 
cross,  somewhat  similar  to  and  undoubtedly  a  cor- 
rupted form  of  the  Highland  fiery-cross.  This  fyre- 
cross  was  a  wisp  of  straw  or  tow,  or  a  turf,  burning 
or  burnt,  mounted  on  the  top  of  a  spear  and  carried 
through  the  country  with  the  utmost  celerity,  and  all 
men  between  eighteen  and  fifty-six,  or  according  to 
some  writers  between  sixteen  and  sixty,  were  obliged 
to  hasten  to  the  place  of  danger. 

In  the  Highlands  it  was  called  crois-tara,  crois- 
tarich  or  cran-tara,  and  has  been  supposed  to  signify 
the  cross  of  shame  {tarci),  in  allusion  to  those  who 
should  neglect  to  join  the  banner  of  their  chief. 
Jameson  however,  who  defines  it  as  a  "  stake  of  wood 


TJie  Border  Clans.  63 

one  end  dipped  in  blood  and  the  other  burnt,  as  an 
emblem  of  fire  and  sword,"  says  the  final  word  is 
perhaps  tar  a,  a  multitude.  It  was  however  origin- 
ally a  cross  formed  of  two  pieces  of  wood  tied  to- 
gether, the  extremities  of  which  were  seared  in  fire 
and  extmgitished  in  the  blood  of  a  goat  which  was 
killed  by  the  chief  himself  with  his  own  sword. 
Sometimes  one  of  the  ends  of  the  horizontal  piece 
only  was  burnt  and  a  piece  of  linen  or  white  cloth 
stained  with  blood  was  suspended  from  the  other  ; 
and  some  years  ago  I  expressed  the  opinion  that  the 
original  signification  had  been  long  forgotten  and 
that  the  crois-tara  was  the  cross  of  Taran  or  Thoran, 
the  God  of  Thunder,  who  was  identical  with  the 
Scandinavia  Thor  who  was  considered  the  helper  of 
both  gods  and  men,  and  whose  weapon  was  a  fylfot 
cross.  Moreover  the  goat  was  sacred  both  to  Bac- 
chus and  to  Mars,  the  God  of  War,  and  undoubtedly 
likewise  to  Thor,  the  God  of  War  as  well  as  of 
Thunder,  as  his  car  was  drawn  by  two  goats,  and 
therefore  in  Scotland  to  Taran,  and  the  case  then 
is  perfectly  clear.  No  Highland  Chieftain  would 
turn  his  Andrea  Ferrara  into  a  butcher's  knife,  but 
in  this  event  it  became  a  sacrificial  knife  and  he  a 
successor  of  the  Pagan  priest  offering  up  a  sacri- 
fice to  Taran.  This  accounts  for  the  blood,  and 
the  rest  is  equally  clear  for  the  cross  of  Thor  was 
a  fiery  cross  which  he  himself  could  only  hold  with 
a  steel  glove.  Taran's  cross  must  have  been  the 
same. 


64  The  Border  Clans. 

In  the  Orkneys  the  fiery  cross  was  called  the  Cors 
or  Corse,  /,  e.,  Cross,  and  in  later  times  it  was  some- 
times used  for  calling  the  people  to  church  or  for 
other  lawful  purposes. 

The  ancient  Goths,  the  Swedes  and  probably 
other  nations  had  a  similar  custom  and  from  the  im- 
perfect accounts  that  have  been  handed  down  they 
appear  to  have  used  rods  burnt  at  one  end,  with  a 
rope  or  piece  of  white  cloth  stained  with  blood  at 
the  other.  As  the  cross  was  delivered  from  hand  to 
hand,  and  each  bearer  ran  at  full  speed,  proclaiming 
aloud  the  place  of  meeting,  a  clan  was  assembled 
with  great  celerity.  The  last  time  it  was  used  in 
Scotland  was  during  the  Rising  of  i  745,  when  it  was 
carried  about  in  the  Highlands,  and  it  went  round 
Loch  Tay,  a  distance  of  thirty-two  miles,  in  three 
hours. 

I  must  again  confess  that  there  was  a  class  infest- 
ing the  borders  who  must  not  be  confounded  with 
some  of  the  Border  Clans,  and  in  favor  of  many  of 
whom  little  can  I  fear  be  adduced. 

The  land  lying  along  the  Borders  was  called  the 
Debateable  land  or  Threepland,  from  "  threep,"  to 
contend  or  quarrel.  As  early  as  1222  a  commission 
was  appointed  to  mark  out  the  line  of  frontier,  and 
in  1450,  it  was  agreed  to  render  part  of  it  a  com- 
mon pasture  where  each  nation  might  have  liberty  to 
graze  cattle,  and  was  occupied  from  sun  rising  to 
sun  setting,  on  the  understanding  that  any  thing  left 
there  over  night  should  be  fair  booty  to  the  finder. 


The  Border  Clans.  65 

It  extended  the  whole  length  of  the  borders,  and  in 
proportion  as  the  land  was  waste  or  barren  its  breadth 
was  the  wider,  but  in  1552,  it  was  decided  to  divide 
the  Terra  contentiosa  by  a  boundary  line  ;  the  ground 
on  one  side  to  belong  to  England  and  that  on  the 
other  to  Scotland. 

Not  only  hordes  of  broken  clans  and  broken  men, 
but  also  murderers  and  the  like  resided  there,  many 
of  whom  harrassed  both  countries. 

"And  stole  the  beeves  that  made  their  broth 
From  England  and  from  Scotland  both." 

Such  was  their  dexterity  that  they  could  twist  a 
cow's  horn  or  mark  a  horse  so  that  its  owner  could 
not  know  either  again,  and  one  of  their  pretty  games 
was  with  the  consent  of  a  neighbor  to  carry  off  and 
sell  his  horse  at  a  good  distance,  and  after  pocketing 
the  money  to  steal  back  the  horse  and  return  him  to 
his  owner. 

The  Tarras  Moss  was  one  of  their  places  of 
refuge.  In  1598  Sir  Robert  Carey,  the  English 
Warden  built  a  fort  on  Careby  Hill  to  watch  some 
of  the  Baitablers  who  had  fled  there,  but  while  he 
was  lying  in  wait  they  sent  a  party  into  England 
and  harried  his  lands,  and  on  their  return  sent  him 
one  of  his  own  cows,  telling  him  that  fearing  he 
was  short  of  provisions  they  had  sent  him  some 
English  beef. 

They  were  often  proclaimed.      A  decree  of   the 
year  1567  reads  as  follows  : 
9 


66  The  Border  Clans. 

"  Forasmikill*  as  it  is  understand  to  my  Lord  Re- 
eent  and  Lordis  of  Secrete  Counsall  how  the  thevis 
and  brokin  men  inhabitantis  of  the  contreis  of  Lid- 
disdaill,  Ewisdaill,  Eskdaill  and  utheris  boundis  on 
the  Marches  of  this  realme  foranent  Ingland,  hes 
nocht  onelie  committit  divers  thiftis,  reiffis.f  heirs- 
chippisj  and  slaiichteris  upoun  the  peciabill  and  gude 
subjectis  of  the  Incuntre  bot  als  hes  takin  sindry  of 
thame  and  denenit§  thame  as  lauchfull  presonaris  or 
ransont  or  latten  them  to  souertie  agane  *  *  * 
And  *  *  *  quhen||  ony  cumpanyis  of  thevis  or 
brokin  men  cummis  over  the  swyris^  within  the 
Incuntre,  that  all  our  Soverane  Lordis  liegis  dwelland 
in  the  boundis  quhairthrow  thai  resort  incontinent 
cry  on  hie,  raise  the  fray  and  follow  thame  alsweill 
in  their  inpassing  as  outpassing  on  fute  and  horsis 
and  follow  thame  and  the  gudis  reft  and  stollen  be 
thame  for  the  recoverinp-  and  reddinor  thairof  *  *  *  " 

Bloodhounds  were  generally  used  in  the  pursuit  of 
these  marauders.  When  the  injured  parties  raised 
the  hue  and  cry  and  followed  with  horse  and  hound, 
it  was  called  the  hot  trod  or  tred,  and  in  chasing  the 
thieves  they  were  allowed  to  cross  the  frontiers  of 
both  countries. 


*  Forasmuch, 
t  Robberies. 

I  Ruin, 'wrecking  of  property. 
§  Detained. 

II  When.     Qu  is  equivalent  to  w. 

IF  Hills  or  passes  between  the  mountains. 


The  Border  Clans.  67 

Besides  the  royal  and  other  castles  on  the  Borders, 
there  were  also  bastel-houses,  or  bastilles,  and  towers 
called  peels,  inhabited  by  the  lairds  and  gentry, 
whether  heads  of  clans  or  distinct  families.  Some 
were  surrounded  by  barnikins  or  inclosures  of  stone, 
the  walls  whereof  were,  according  to  statute  of  A.  D. 
1535,  a  yard  thick  and  six  yards  in  height,  surround- 
ing a  space  of  at  least  sixty  feet.  This  was  the 
minimum,  but  they  were  often  stronger.  These 
barnikins  were  for  men  of  one  hundred  pounds  a  year 
or  more,  a  not  inconsiderable  sum  then,  for  forty 
years  later  the  English  master  of  the  ordnance  of  the 
northern  parts  received  at  5s.  per  day  only  £<^\,  5s. 
per  annum,  and  the  salary  of  Lord  Hundsdon,  warden 
of  the  east  marches,  was  only  four  hundred  pounds. 

Men  of  smaller  rent  were  to  build  peels  and 
"great  strengths,"  or  strong  houses. 

The  entrance  to  the  tower  was  usually  secured  by 
two  doors,  the  outer  one  of  grated  iron  and  the  inner 
one  of  oak  clenched  with  nails.  The  apartments 
were  placed  directly  over  each  other,  accessible  by  a 
turnpike  stair  easily  blocked  up  and  defended.  The 
dependents  generally  lived  in  adjacent  cottages,  or 
huts  with  walls  of  stone,  turf  or  mud,  and  when  the 
alarm  was  sounded  they  unthatched  and  dismantled 
their  cabins,  so  that  there  was  nothing  to  burn,  and 
huddled  the  women  and  children,  the  horses,  cattle 
and  sheep  within  the  castle  walls,  and  either  joined 
them  there,  if  the  fortalice  itself  was  attacked,  or 
rode  off  to  join  in  the  fray. 


68  The  Border  Clans. 

Upon  a  sudden  attack  from  any  small  party  these 
bastilles  afforded  good  means  of  defense,  but  when, 
as  often  happened,  the  English  entered  the  frontier 
with  a  regular  army  supplied  with  artillery,  the  lairds 
usually  took  to  the  woods  or  mountains,  with  their 
most  active  and  mounted  followers,  and  left  their 
habitations  to  the  fate  of  war,  which  could  seldom  do 
any  permanent  damage  to  buildings  of  such  rude  and 
massive  construction  as  could  neither  be  effectually 
ruined  by  fire  or  thrown  down  by  force,  until  at 
least  when  gunpowder  began  to  be  used  for  the 
purpose. 

Few  of  these  fortresses  now  remain.  They  were 
inconvenient  for  modern  residences,  and  have  been 
mostly  cleared  away.  The  largest  peel  on  the  Bor- 
der still  in  existence  is  that  of  Borthwick,  built  in 
1430,  the  tower  of  which  is  one  hundred  and  ten  feet 
high  and  the  walls  twelve  to  fourteen  feet  thick.  It 
had  six  stories. 

Rude  as  they  appear  to  have  been,  a  list  of  the 
furniture  of  one  of  them  in  the  sixteenth  century 
shows  a  certain  degree  of  refinement.  It  consists 
of  the  "  spuilzie "  (spoils)  of  the  house  of  Robert 
Ker  of  Ancrum,  County  Roxburgh,  ancestor  of  the 
Marquess  of  Lothain,  in  1573,  with  the  valuation 
of  each  separate  article,  he  having  appealed  to 
the  king  and  council  against  certain  parties  for 
damages. 

Among  other  articles  enumerated  are  four  silver 
tassis  {cups),  each  weighing  twelve  ounces,  one  silver 


The  Border  Clans.  69 

macer*  double  over  gilt,  weighing  eighteen  ounces, 
two  dozen  silver  spoons  weighing  one  and  a  half 
ounces  each,  two  silver  salt  vats,  one  partially  gilt 
with  cover,  weighing  twelve  ounces,  the  other  weigh- 
ing seven  ounces.  A  silver  foot  to  a  cup  weighing 
five  ounces.  Three  dozen  Flanders  pulder  plaittisf 
{^pewter  plates),  five  dozen  Flanders  poyder  trunch- 
eons {premiers),  besides  basins,  washbasins,  tin 
fiagons  of  Flanders  work,  three  stands  napery  %  {table 
linen)  of  fine  dernick  {Door^iick  or  Tournay)  work, 
three  stands  of  small  linen  cloth,  "  XL  furneist  fedder 
beddis  with  scheittis,  coveringis,  coddis  {pillows), 
bousteris,  blankattis,"  three  gentlewomen's  gowns, 
to-wit,  one  of  black  champlot  silk,  another  of  French 
black  and  the  third  of  Scotch  russet,  all  trimmed 
with  velvet,  three  gentlewomen's  hats,  one  of  black 
velvet,  another  of  black  armosy  taffatie  and  the  third 
of  black  felt,  three  men's  doublets,  one  of  black  satin, 
another  of  violet  armosie  taffatie  and  the  third  black 
bombassy,  etc.,  etc.,  together  with  one  tun  of  wine, 
to-wit,  three  puncheons  of  claret,  and  one  puncheon 
of  white  wine,  "price  of  the  tun  Ixvi  li  xiii  s.  iiii  d,"§ 


*  Macers  were  generally  made  of  maple  wood,  one  serving  the 
entire  company,  as  the  Loving  cup  is  still  passed  round  in  England. 

t  Tin  or  pewter  plates  took  the  place  of  wooden  ones  in  the  reign 
of  James  the  First  (1424-1437),  about  which  time  a  noted  tavern  in 
Paris  bore  the  sign  of  the  Tin  plate. 

I  James  I  in  his  Poem  "  Peblis  to  the  Play,"  mentions  a  tavern 
in  Peebles  with  fair  table  linen  and  a  regular  score  on  the  wall.  The 
reckoning  two  pence  halfpenny  apiece. 

§;£66  13s.  4d.  These  were  Scotch  pounds  then  less  in  value  than 
English. 


70  The  Border  Clans. 

and  also  salt  meat,  cheese,  butter,  meal,  barley,  oats, 
etc. 

Such  is  the  claim,  but  it  can  hardly  escape  notice 
that  while  there  were  forty  beds  completely  furnished 
and  equal  to  about  sixteen  hundred  bottles  of  wine, 
there  were  parts  only  of  three  men's  and  three  women's 
dresses,  so  that  it  would  seem  as  if  some  articles  had 
either  been  taken  away  by  the  owners  or  had  not 
been  discovered  by  the  raiders. 

This  was  the  house  of  a  baron  only,  but  the  inven- 
tory a  century  earlier  of  the  royal  plate  and  jewels 
of  King  James  the  Third,  who  died  in  1488,  impresses 
one  with  no  contemptible  idea  of  the  riches  and 
splendor  of  the  court.  Together  with  a  large  sum 
in  gold  angels,  ryders  (of  the  Low  Countries),  rials 
(of  France),  unicorns  and  rose  nobles  occur  "  a  book 
of  gold  like  a  table  and  on  the  clasp  of  it  four  pearls 
and  a  fair  ruby  ;  the  great  diamond  with  the  dia- 
monds set  about  it ;  several  great  and  small  gold 
chains ;  a  collar  of  chalcedon,  collars  and  beads  of 
gold,  strings  of  pearls,  a  purse  made  of  pearls, 
crosses  set  with  precious  stones,  numerous  rings 
in  rolls  —  e.g.,  "Item  a  roll  with  seven  small  ringis 
diamantis  rubeis  and  perle."  "  Item  ane  uther  roll 
with  ringis  in  it  of  thame  (among  them)  thre  gret 
emmorantis  a  ruby  a  diamant,  and  other  rolls  of 
rings  set  with  saffer,  ammorant,  topas,  turcas  and 
berial,  together  with  plates,  dishes  and  basins  silver 
over  gilt,"  etc.,  etc.,  and  in  the  inventory  of  James 
V,  who  died  in  1542,  occurs  inter  alia  a  basin  of  gold 
weighing  ten  pounds. 


The  Border  Claris.  7^ 

An  inventory  of  such  things  as  were  left  in  the 
Castle  of  Caerlaverock,  Co.  Dumfries,  in  1640,  affords 
a  good  idea  of  the  wealth  and  luxury  that  character- 
ized some  of  the  noble  mansions  of  Scotland  at  that 
period. 

Four  barrels  of  "  seake  "  (FalstafT's  favorite  wine) 
and  three  hogsheads  of  French  wine  only  remained 
in  the  wine  cellar,  but  among  numerous  other  articles 
were  five  suits  of  hangings,  each  estimate  at  three 
score  pounds  sterling.  Five  beds,  two  of  silk  and 
three  of  cloth,  every  bed  consisting  of  five  coverings 
*  *  *  with  silk  fringes,  broad  silk  lace,  chairs  and 
stools  answerable  laid  with  lace  and  fringe,  with  feather 
bed  and  bolster,  blankets  and  rugs,  pillows  and  bed- 
stead of  timber  answerable  ;  every  bed  estimate  to  be 
worth  one  hundred  and  ten  pounds  sterling. 

Ten  lesser  beds,  four  with  cloth  curtains  and  six 
with  stuff  or  serge,  every  bed  furnished  with  bottoms, 
valence  and  testers,  feather  bed,  bolster,  rug,  blan- 
kets and  pillows  and  bedstead  of  timber ;  every  bed 
estimate  to  fifteen  pounds  sterling. 

Seventy  other  beds  for  servants,  consisting  of 
feather  bed,  bolster,  rug,  blankets,  and  estimate  to 
seven  pounds  sterling  apiece. 

Forty  carpets,  estimate  "  overheid  "  to  forty  shil- 
lings sterling  apiece. 

Furniture  of  a  drawing-room  of  cloth  of  silver, 
consisting  of  an  entire  bed  *  *  *  wardrobe  and 
six  stools,  all  with  silk  and  silver  fringe,  estimate  to 
one  hundred  pounds  sterling. 


72  The  Border  Clans, 

Two  dozen  chairs  and  stools  covered  with  red 
velvet,  with  fringes  of  crimson  silk  and  gilt  nails, 
estimate  to  three  score  pounds  sterling. 

Five  dozen  Turkey  work  chairs  and  stools,  every 
chair  estimate  to  fifteen  shillings  sterling,  and  every 
stool  to  nine  shillings  sterling. 

A  library  of  books  "  qlk  stood  my  lord  to  two  hun- 
dred pounds  sterling"  (Maxwell,  Earl  of  Nithsdale, 
was  a  literary  man  and  commonly  called  The  Philos- 
opher, which  accounts  for  the  large  stock  of  books 
for  that  period). 

Two  trunks  full  of  Holland  shirts,  etc.,  etc.,  damask 
table  cloths,  forty  pair  of  sheets,  seventy  stands  of 
napery,  etc.     Two  trunks  of  coarse  sheets  and  napery. 

A  trunk  with  eight  suits  of  apparel,  some  of  velvet, 
some  of  satin,  some  of  cloth,  etc.  There  was  also 
one  iron  window  and  six  cases  of  windows.  Glass 
was  then  still  so  expensive  that  the  windows  were 
removed  from  unoccupied  rooms. 

My  lord  and  my  lady's  pictures. 

The  bed  in  my  lord's  chamber  is  described  as  fur- 
nished of  damaSk  and  laid  out  with  gold  lace.  My 
lady's  chamber  is  mentioned,  but  the  furniture  is  not 
given. 

Of  arms  there  were  left  22  pikes,  13  lances,  28 
muskets,  28  bandoleers,  2  two-handed  swords  and  9 
collars  for  daggers. 

The  ledger  of  Andrew  Halyburton,  a  Scotch  mer- 
chant residing  in  the  Low  Countries  between  the 
years  1492  and  1503,  has  fortunately  been  preserved. 


The  Border  Clans.  "JZ 

Among  other  articles  shipped  by  him  to  Scotland 
were  "  2  poncionis  (^puncheons)  off  claret  wyn,  2 
puns  i^pitncheons)  Orleans  wine,  a  stek  {^piece  or 
cask)  of  Ryns  wyne,  3  puns  wine,  a  pipe  of  claret,  a 
town  {ticn)  of  Gaschon  claret,  2  bottis  {btUts)  Malwissy 
{Malmsey),''  etc.,  together  with  such  luxuries  as  "25 
cassis  sucur  weand  28  li  {pounds^,  12  li  pepar,  2  li 
gyingar,  a  li  of  kaneyll  {cinnamon),  i  li  clois  {cloves), 
2  li  notmogis,  2  li  massis  {mace),  12  li  scrozattis  {con- 
fections), 2  barellis  of  applis,  xii  li  of  deytis,"  etc., 
and  also  the  Trois  Mendiants,  viz.,  "  fegis,  raisinis 
and  almondis." 

A  century  later,  in  the  Highlands,  Simon  Fraser, 
eighth  Lord  Lovat,  imported  wines,  sugar  and  spices 
from  France  in  return  for  the  salmon  produced  in  his 
rivers.  He  was  celebrated  for  a  liberal  hospitality. 
The  weekly  expenditure  of  provisions  in  his  house 
included  seven  bolls  of  malt,  seven  bolls  of  meal  and 
one  of  flour.  Each  year  seventy  beeves  were  con- 
sumed, besides  venison,  fish,  poultry,  kid,  lamb,  veal 
and  all  sorts  of  feathered  game  in  proportion.  When 
he  died  in  1631,  five  thousand  armed  followers  and 
friends  attended  his  funeral,  for  all  of  whom  there 
was  entertainment  provided. 

Sir  Duncan  Campbell  of  Glenurchy,  ancestor  of 
the  Marquess  of  Breadalbane,  who  died  the  same 
year,  supported  a  similar  menage.  His  wine,  brought 
from  Dundee,  was  claret  and  white  wine,  old  and 
new,  and  he  had  three  kinds  of  ale  —  ostler  ale, 
household  ale  and  best  ale. 
10 


74  The  Border  Clans. 

Fynes  Morysin  who  visited  Scotland  in  1598,  says, 
"  They  drink  pure  wines,  not  with  sugar  as  the 
English  ;  yet  at  feasts  they  put  comfits  in  the  wine 
after  the  French  manner  ;  but  they  had  not  our  vint- 
ner's fraud  to  mix  the  wines. 

Another  English  traveler,  in  "A  Short  Account 
of  Scotland,  London,  1702,"  says  "their  drink  is 
beer,  sometimes  so  new  that  it  is  scarce  cold  when 
brought  to  the  table.  But  their  gentry  are  better 
provided,  and  give  it  age,  yet  think  not  so  well  of  it  as 
to  let  it  go  alone,  and  therefore  add  brandy,  cherry 
brandy,  or  brandy  and  sugar,  and  this  is  the  nectar 
of  their  country,  at  their  feasts  and  entertainments, 
and  carries  with  it  a  mark  of  great  esteem  and  affec- 
tion. Sometimes  they  have  wine,  a  thin  bodied 
claret,  at  ten  pence  the  mutchkin  which  answers  to 
our  quart."  It  is  not  clear  what  kind  of  "gentry" 
this  writer  refers  to  for  as  I  have  shown  the  lords 
and  barons  drank  not  only  claret,  but  also  rhenish, 
malmsey  and  sherry  wines,  and  bought  them  by  the 
cask,  pipe  or  butt  and  hogshead  or  puncheon,  and 
not  by  the  quart. 

It  is  strange  these  authors  do  not  mention  whisky 
which  was  known  in  Ireland  when  Henry  the  Second 
invaded  that  country  in  1 1 72,  when  the  inhabitants 
were  in  the  habit  of  making  an  alcoholic  liquor 
called  uisge-beatha,  synonymous  with  the  Latin  aqua 
vitce,  water  of  life  or  usqziebatigh,  i.  e.,  whisky,  and 
Hector  Boece  (A.  D.,  1527)  says  of  his  ancestors 
that  when  they  "determined  of  a  set  purpose  to  be 


The  Border  Clans.  75 

merie,  they  used  a  kind  of  aquavite,  void  of  all  spice, 
and  onelie  consisting  of  such  herbs  and  roots  as  grew 
in  their  own  gardens,  otherwise  their  common  drink 
was  ale :  but  in  time  of  warre  when  they  were  in- 
forced  to  lie  in  campe,  they  contented  themselves 
with  water  as  rediest  for  their  turnes." 

Simon  Fraser,  twelfth  Lord  Lovat,  decapitated  in 
1747,  was  one  of  the  last  who  kept  up  the  old  feudal 
state.  Numbers  of  the  vassals  were  about  the  house 
and  entertained  at  the  chief's  expense.  The  princi- 
pal guests  sat  toward  the  head  of  the  table  and  had 
French  cookery  and  drank  claret ;  next  to  these 
were  the  duine-uasals*  who  drank  whisky  punch  ; 
the  tenants  who  were  beneath  these  were  supplied 
with  ale,  and  at  the  bottom  and  even  outside  a  mul- 
titude of  the  clan  regaled  themselves  with  bread  or 
an  onion,  or  perhaps  a  little  cheese  and  table  beer. 
All  clansmen  are  cousins  and   Lovat  addressing  one 

would    say  "  Cousin ,  I   told    the  servants  to 

hand  you  wine,  but  they  tell  me  ye  like  punch  best," 
and  to  others  "  Gentlemen,  there  is  what  you  please 
at  your  service,  but  I  send  you  ale  as  you  prefer  it." 

One  of  Lord  Lovat's  neighbors,  Forbes  of  Cullo- 
den,  kept  a  hogshead  of  wine  constantly  on  tap  near 
the  hall  door  for  the  use  of  all  comers. 

The  Peerage  of  Scotland  is  perhaps  the  most  aris- 
tocratic body  in  the  world  ;  all  creations  ceased  at 


*  Gentlemen,  generally  tacksmen  or  tenants  (goodmen),  acknowl- 
edged relations  of  their  lord. 


76  The  Border  Clans. 

the  period  of  the  Legislative  Union  in  1707,  and 
only  two  or  three  of  the  families  of  whom  it  is  com 
posed  are  not  of  old  Baronial  descent,  and  as  the  title 
of  Laird  frequently  occurs  herein  I  may  explain  that 
the  lesser  Barons  or  Lairds  were  hardly  to  be  distin- 
guished from  the  nobility,  who,  until  about  the  mid- 
dle of  the  seventeenth  century  consisted  of  Earls  and 
Lords  only,  the  Ducal  denomination  having  been 
mostly  confined  to  tlie  Royal  Family. 

In  the  Parliament  of  1488,  there  were  four  Bishops, 
six  Abbots,  four  Priors,  eight  Earls,  fourteen  Lords, 
thirty-four  Barons  or  Lairds,  and  eleven  Commis- 
saries of  Burghs. 

The  Lairds  were  not  only  denominated  from  their 
estates,  but  up  to  a  late  period  they  used  a  titular 
signature  as  well  as  the  Peers,  or  rather  greater  Bar- 
ons, as  the  former  word  hardly  applies  to  Scotland 
where  the  "Peers"  never  had  a  separate  house,  nor 
had  they  any  privileges  over  the  lesser  Barons.  All 
were  Pares  or  Peers  in  Courts  of  Justice.  While 
there  was  no  House  of  Commons  there  was  no  House 
of  Peers.  Every  tenant  in  capite  or  landed  gentle- 
men holding  of  the  crown  might  sit  and  vote. 

The  lairds  corresponded  in  a  measure  with  the 
English  lords  of  manors,  but  with  greater  powers ; 
for  in  Scotland,  as  a  rule,  they  were  lords  of  regality, 
and  possessed  the  power  of  pit  and  gallows,  or  juris- 
diction over  those  of  their  vassals  or  tenants  who 
resided  on  their  estates.  Drowning  was  an  old  mode 
of  punishment,  and  the  right  of  fossa  et  furcci  con- 


The  Border  Clans.  'jj 

sisted  in  inflicting  death  either  by  drowning  of  women 
or  hanging  of  men.  Treason,  it  is  said,  did  not  fall 
under  their  cognizance  ;  but  it  would  seem  that  the 
king  himself  could  not  arrest  traitors  within  their 
territories,  for  as  late  as  1571,  and  again  in  1574, 
several  heads  of  clans,  amonorst  whom  are  those  of 
Clan  Dickson,  pledged  themselves  to  keep  good  rule, 
and  to  apprehend  not  only  thieves  but  also  any 
traitors  found  within  their  borders. 

Lord  and  laird  are  both  rendered  "dominus"  in 
Latin.  A  tract  of  land  with  the  owner's  bastille,  peel 
or.  mansion  upon  it  was  styled  a  lairdship,  and  the 
owner  was  not  called  by  his  name  as  Scot,  but  by 
his  lands,  as  "Buccleugh." 

In  1429,  persons  possessed  of  a  yearly  rent  of 
twenty  pounds,  or  of  moveable  goods  to  the  value  of 
one  hundred  pounds,  were  ordered  to  be  well  horsed 
and  armed  "  from  head  to  heel,"  as  became  their  rank 
as  gentlemen  ;  whilst  others  of  inferior  wealth,  ex- 
tending to  ten  pounds  only  in  rent,  or  fifty  pounds 
in  goods,  were  bound  to  provide  themselves  with  (a 
headpiece  ?),  gorget,  rereand  vam  braces,  breastplate, 
greaves  and  leg  splints  and  gloves  of  plate  or  iron 
gauntlets.  Every  yeoman  whose  property  amounted 
to  twenty  pounds  in  goods  was  commanded  to  arm 
himself  with  a  good  doublet  of  fence  or  a  habergeon, 
an  iron  hat  or  knapscull,  a  bow  and  sheaf  of  arrows, 
a  sword,  buckler  and  dagger.  The  second  rank  of 
yeomen,  who  possessed  only  ten  pounds  in  property, 
were  to  provide  themselves  with  a  bow  and  sheaf  of 


yS  The  Border  Clans. 

arrows,  a  sword,  buckler  and  dagger,  whilst  the  low- 
est rank  of  all,  who  had  no  skill  in  archery,  were  to 
have  a  good  "suir"  hat,  a  doublet  of  fence,  with 
sword  and  buckler,  an  axe  also,  or  at  least  a  staff 
pointed  with  iron. 

This  shows  the  relative  value  of  coin  when  a  man's 
wealth,  as  in  the  days  of  Abraham,  consisted  chiefly 
in  his  extensive  lands  and  flocks.  Out  of  an  income 
of  twenty  pounds  a  gentleman  had  to  be  armed  cap- 
a-pie  and  to  own  a  good  horse  besides. 

In  1540,  James  V  ordered  that  every  iiobleman, 
such  as  earls,  lords,  knights,  barons  and  persons  ex- 
ceeding one  hundred  pounds  in  yearly  rent,  should 
use  white  or  plate  armor,  light  or  heavy  as  they 
chose,  and  weapons  becoming  their  rank  ;  that  those 
of  a  smaller  income  in  the  Lowlands  have  a  jack  of 
plate,  halbrik  or  brigantine,  gorget  or  pisan  with 
splents,  knee-pans  of  mail  and  gauntlets  of  plate  or 
mail ;  that  unlanded  gentlemen  and  yeoman  have 
jacks  of  plate,  halbriks,  splents,  sallat  or  steel  bonnet 
with  pisan  or  gorget,  and  all  to  wear  swords.  No 
weapons  are  to  be  admitted  to  wapenschawings 
iweapoji  showings  or  reviczvs^  except  spears,  pikes  of 
six  ells  in  lencrth,  leith  axes,  halbards,  hand-bows 
and  arrows,  cross-bows,  culverins  and  two-handed 
swords.  Burgesses  are  to  arm  in  the  same  pro- 
portions of  their  income.  Those  worth  one  hun- 
dred pounds  in  goods  in  white  armor;  those  under, 
but  who  may  yearly  spend  ten  pounds,  like  the 
yeomanry. 


The  Border   Clans.  79 

Of  firearms,  culverins  alone  are  mentioned.  In 
1 541,  however,  a  statute  was  passed  ordering  all  per- 
sons of  property,  not  even  excluding  the  clergy,  to 
have  hagbuts,  culverins,  powder,  lead,  etc.,  according 
to  their  income. 

In  1590,  it  was  decreed  that  no  baron,  in  repairing 
to  the  king's  presence  or  to  justice's  courts  and  con- 
ventions at  Edinburgh,  should  be  accompanied  by 
more  than  five  persons,  unarmed,  while  lords  were 
not  allowed  more  than  eight  and  earls  not  above 
twelve.  The  following  year,  however,  they  were 
permitted  to  have  "every  erll  xxiiii  personis  or 
within,  every  lord  xvi  personis  or  within  and  every 
barroun  X  personis  or  within,  —  all  in  peceable  and 
quiet  manner,  without  armour  and  chieflie  without 
daggis,  pistolettis  and  utheris  ingynis  of  fyre  werk 
except  it  be  shown  to  his  Majesty  that  it  be  neces- 
sary and  his  Hienis  special  license  had  for  their 
cuming  when  they  shall  be  allowed  to  wear  sword 
and  quhinzeair  (whinger  or  hanger)." 

Vassals  were  only  second  to  barons  and  free  hold- 
ers of  the  crown.  They  generally  held  their  lands 
free  of  all  service  and  paid  only  a  nominal  quit  rent. 
These  tenants,  although  holding  their  lands  from 
overlords,  were  themselves  often  chiefs  of  clans  or 
branches  of  clans,  and  independent  of  their  landlords 
as  regarded  feudal  superiority,  and  their  followers 
acknowledged  no  superior  save  their  chief.  They 
and  their  ancestors  had  occupied  their  farms  for 
generations,  and  the  birth  of  the  better  class  was  as 


8o  The  Border  Clans. 

good,  and  their  genealogy  as  old,  as  those  of  the 
chief  himself,  to  whom  they  were  mostly  blood  rela- 
tions, and  to  whom  they  were  attached  with  the  most 
unshaken  loyalty.  Some  of  them  were  naturally 
poor,  however,  and  they  are  so  styled  in  a  letter  from 
the  English  privy  council  to  their  ambassador  in 
France  in  1547.  "The  Scots  having  of  late  made 
many  and  cruel  incursions,  the  Lord  Warton,  lord 
warden  of  the  West  Marches,  had  been  compelled  to 
make  reprisals,  and  has  taken  in  an  ambush  the  Laird 
Johnson,  a  notable  Borderer  of  the  Scottish  side, 
with  seven  or  eight  mean  gentlemen  and  120  or  140 
common  soldiers  of  his  party." 

Lord  Wharton  was  not  so  fortunate  the  following 
year,  when  he  and  his  army  of  three  thousand  men 
were  defeated  and  the  remainder  retreated  to  Car- 
lisle. 

These  poor  gentry  were  sometimes  styled  bonnet- 
lairds  or  cock-lairds.  They  were  followed  by  the 
husbandmen  {Jiusbandi^,  who  were  not  serfs  nor 
bondsmen  ;  neither  were  they  free  tenants,  but  actual 
cultivators  of  the  land  —  sub-tenants. 

The  carls  bonds,  serfs  or  villeins  were  anciently  in 
a  state  of  perfect  servitude  and  were  at  the  absolute 
disposal  of  their  landlords.  They  were  transferred 
with  the  lands  and  might  be  caught  and  be  brought 
back  if  they  attempted  to  escape  like  a  stray  ox  or 
sheep.  In  1 1  70,  Earl  Waldev  of  Dunbar  in  a  deed 
of  four  lines  made  over  a  whole  family  "  I  give  and 
bequeath  to  the  Abbot  and  monks  of  Kelso,  Hadden 


The  Border   Clans.  8i 

and  his  brother  William  and  all  their  children  and  all 
their  descendants." 

Villeynage  was  discontinued  before  the  beginning 
of  the  sixteenth  century  and  before  it  was  given  up 
in  England.  This  class  then  became  cottars  or  sub- 
tenants without  any  tenure  except  that  which  arose 
out  of  the  necessity  of  having  men  who  could  render 
services  both  military  and  agricultural. 

The  heritable  or  hereditable  jurisdictions  were  not 
however  abolished  until  1748,  and  this  broke  the 
chain  of  feudalism  which  until  then  had  curbed  the 
progress  of  the  people.  Many  claims  were  made  for 
the  loss  of  these  rights  or  regalities,  the  largest  being 
that  of  the  Duke  of  Hamilton,  who  claimed  ^38,000, 
while  the  Duke  of  Roxburgh  only  demanded  ^4,000. 
The  Marquess  of  Lothian,  the  Countess  of  Eglinton, 
Maclean  of  Cadboll,  Dickson*  of  Kilbucho  and  others 
asked  for  ^1,000  each  ;  Sir  John  Anstruther,  Car- 
michael  of  Tilleboddy,  Sir  Robert  Dickson  of  Sorn- 
beg  and  others  wanted  ^500  each.  Sir  James  Sharp 
and  a  few  more  £'^00  each,  and  one  only  claimed 
less  than  that  sum. 

A  few  lists  of  Borderers  and  Border  Clans,  more 
or  less  complete  have  been  preserved,  the  earliest 
being  a  record  of  the  Barons  and  Clans  of  the  West 
Border  who  submitted  to  the  English  in  the  dismal 


*  Dickson  of  Buhtrig  was  then  extinct,  and  as   Dickson  of  Bel- 
chester  was  out  in  the  Fifteen  his  family  were  probably  too  well 
known  as  Jacobites  for  them  to  expect  any  claim  of  theirs,  if  made, 
would  be  listened  to. 
II 


82  The  Border  Clans. 

year   1547,  and  were  for  some  time  in  subjection  to 
the  English  Government. 

Of  this  I  have  seen  three  copies  slightly  differing 
from  each  other.  It  is  especially  interesting  as  it 
gives  the  numbers  of  the  different  clans,  at  least  of 
those  who  took  the  oath  of  fealty,  which  could  not 
always  have  been  the  entire  clan  as  the  Eliots  only 
number  seventy-four. 

Annerdale. 

Laird  of  Kirkmighel 222 

"        Rose  {-Ross^) 165 

"        Hempsfield   (^Charteris  of  Amisfield^  .  163 

"        Home  Ends  {Carrtithers  of  Holmains)  162 

"        Wamfrey  (^fohnstone) 102 

Dunwoddy  {of  that  II k\  or  Maxwell?^  44 

The  Lairds  of  Newby  and  Gratney  {fohnstone).  122 

Laird  of  Tinnell  (^Maxwell  of  Tzmvald) 102 

Patrick  Murray 203 

Christie  Urwin  (^Irving)  of  Coveshawe 102 

Cuthbert  Urwin  of  Robgill 34 

Urwens  of  Sennersack  {Peiinersacs) 40 

Wat  Urwen 20 

Jeffrey  Urwen 93 

T.  Johnston  of  Coites 162 

Johnstones  of  Craggyland ^il 

Johnstones  of  Driesdell  {Dryfesdale) 46 

^-  The  modern  forms  in  parenthesis  are  partly  from  the  other  Hsts 
and  partly  my  own  additions. 

t  Of  the  same,  z.  e.,  Dunwoddy  of  Dunwoddy. 


The  Border  Clans.  83 

Johnstones  of  Malinshaw 65 

Gawen  Johnstone ...  31 

Will  Johnstone  the  Laird's  brother 1 10 

Roben  Johnstone  of  Lochmaben 67 

Laird  of  Gillersby  {Gillenby) 30 

Moffits 24 

Bells  of  Tostints 142 

Bells  of  Tindills   222 

Johnstone  of  Crackburns 64 

Sir  John  Lawson 32 

Town  of  Annan 2)2) 

Roomes  of  Tordephe .  32 

NlTHSDALE. 

Mr.  Maxwell  (  The  Master  of  Maxwell^ 1000 

and  more. 

Laird  of  Closeburn  (^Kirkpatricli) 403 

"        Lag  {Grierson) 203 

"        Cransfield 27 

Mr.  Edward  Creighton 10 

Laird  of  Cowhill  (^Maxwell ?)   

Maxwell  of   Brackenside  and  Vicar  of   Carlav- 
erick  {Edivard  Maxwell  of  Brackenside  and 

afterward  of  Hills^ 310 

Annerdale  and  Galway. 

Lord  Carlisle loi 

Annerdale  and  Clidsdale. 

Laird  of  Applegirth  (^Jardine^ 242 


84  The  Border  Clans. 

LiDDESDALE    AND    DeBATEABLE    LaND. 

Armstrongs 300 

Elwoods  {Eliots)    74 

Nixons 32 

Galloway. 

Laird  of  Dawybaylie »    41 

Orcherton 1 1 1 

Carlisle 206 

Loughenwar  {Gordon .^) 45 

Tutor  of  Bombie  * 140 

Abbot  of  Newabbey 141 

Town  of  Dumfries 201 

Town  of  Kircubrie 36 

TlVIUALE. 

Laird  of  Drumlire 364 

Caruthers 71 

Trumbells 12 

ESKDALE. 

Battisons  and  Thomsons 166 

The  followinor  East  Border  chiefs  did  homaee  to 
the  Duke  of  Somerset  at  the  same  time,  viz.  :  the 
Lairds  of  Cessforth  {Ker),  Fernyherst  (^Ker),  Grene- 
head  (Ker),  Hunthill  (^Rui her/or d),  Hundely  {Ruth- 

*  Bombie  belonged  to  the  Maclellans.  Tutor  signifies  Guardian 
or  Trustee,  and  they  were  almost  invariably  designed  from  the 
name  of  the  estate  put  under  their  charge  —  generally  when  the 
heir  was  a  minor. 


The  Border  Clans.  85 

erf  or  d^,  Makerstone  (^MacDougal),  Warmesay 
(  ),     Syntoun    {Lyntonf   Kerf),    Egerston 

(  ),  Merton  (  ),  Mowe  {of  that  Ilk), 

Rydell  {of  that  Ilk),  Beamerside  {Haig),  and  the 
following  gentlemen,  viz.  :  George  Tromboul,  Jhon 
Haliburton,  Robert  Car,  Robert  Car  of  Greyden, 
Adam  Kirton,  Andrew  Mether,  Saunders  Purvose 
of  Erleston,  Mark  Car  of  Littledean,  George  Car  of 
Faldenside,  Alexander  Mackdowal,  Charles  Ruther- 
ford, Thomas  Car  of  the  Yere,  Jhon  Car  of  Meyn- 
thorn  {Nenthorn),  Walter  Holiburton,  Richard 
Hangansyde,  Andrew  Car,  James  Douglas  of  Cavers, 
James  Car  of  Mersington,  George  Hoppringle,  Wil- 
liam Ormeston  of  Emerden,  John  Grymslowe. 

A  West  Border  list  of  the  contingents  at  the  battle 
of  Dryfe  Sands  in  1593  (considered,  however,  a 
doubtful  one),  mentions  Crichton,  Drumlanrio- 
{Douglas)  and  Dalziel,  five  score  each ;  Dalswinton 
{Stewart)  and  Cowhill  {Maxwell),  eighty-nine  each  ; 
Kirkpatrick,  Carnsalloch  {Maxwell)  and  Brecken- 
side  {Maxwell),  full  four  score  each ;  Charteris, 
sixty ;  Lag  {Grlerson),  fifty-four ;  Lord  Maxwell, 
eight  hundred,  and  Kirkconnel  {Maxwell),  one  hun- 
dred. 

There  is  a  partial  roll  of  the  year  1587,  from  a 
MS.  of  that  period  preserved  in  the  records  of  the 
privy  council,  of  which  I  transcribe  that  part  relating 
to  the  Borders.  It  contains  the  titles  only,  but  I 
have  added  the  surnames  in  parenthesis.  It  it  en- 
titled : 


86  The  Border  Clans. 

The  Rolls  of  the  Names  of  the  Landislordis  and 
Baillies  duelland  in  the  Borders  and  in  the  Hielandis 
quhair  broken  Men  hes  dwelt  and  presently  dwellis. 

Borders,   Middle  March. 

Earle  Bothuile  {Bothwell),  Laird  of  Phairny-hurst 
{Ker),^  Earl  of  Angus  {^Douglas),  Laird  of  Bukcleuch 
(Scott),  Sherif  of  Teviotdale  {Douglas  of  Cavers), 
Laird  of  Bedroule  (Turiibull),  Laird  of  Mynto 
{Turnbull),  Laird  of  Wauchop  (Turnbull),  Lord 
Heries  {Harries,  afterward  Earl  of  Nithsdale), 
Laird  of  Howpaislott  {Scott),  George  Turneble  of 
Halroule,  Laird  of  Littledene  {Ker),  Laird  of  Drum- 
lanrig  {Douglas),  Laird  of  Chisholme  {ChisJiolme), 
Laird  of  Johnnstoun  {Johnstone),  Laird  of  Apilgirth 
{Jar dine).  Laird  of  Holniendis  {Carruthers),  Laird 
of  Graitnay  {Johnstone),  Lord  Heries  {sic-bis).  Laird 
of  Dynwyddie  {of  that  Ilk,  or  Maxwell),  Laird  of 
Lochinvar  {Gordon). 

There  is  another  list  of  the  same  period  in  the 
privy  council  records  of  only  eighteen  names,  all  of 
which  are  recorded  in  these  lists  except  only  "  Moff- 
ettis"  and  "  Latimers." 

The  following  is  that  part  relating  to  the  Borders, 
of  the  commencement  and  all  but  completion  of  an 


*  "  The  Kers  were  aye  the  deadhest  foes 
That  e'er  to  Enghshmen  were  known, 
For  they  were  all  bred  left-handed  men, 
And  fence  against  them  there  was  none.' 

The  Raid  of  the  Kers.     By  the  Ettrick  Shepherd. 


TJie  Border  Clans.  87 

intended  roll  of  the  names  of  the  landed  proprietors 
over  the  whole  of  Scotland  in  1590,  from  the  records 
of  the  privy  council.  I  have  again  added  the  sur- 
names to  the  best  of  my  ability  in  parenthesis.  It 
is  entitled : 

The  Roll  of  the  Clannis  that  hes  Capitanis, 
Cheiffis,*  Chiftenis,  quhomeon  they  depend,  oftymis 
aganis  the  willis  of  thair  Landislordis,  alsweill  on 
the  Bordouris  as  Hielandis,  and  of  sum  special  per- 
sonis  of  branches  of  the  saidis  Clannis. 

Landit  Men. 
Beruik.  Lord  Hume  {or  Home),  Woddirburne 
{Home),  Coldounknowis  {Home),  Aytoun  {Home), 
Polwart  {Home),  Manderstoun  {Home),  Hutounhall 
{Home),  Blacater  {Home),  David  Hume  of  the  Law, 
Nynewellis  {Home),  Hume  of  Eist  Restoun,  Billie 
{Renton),  Blanerne  {Lumsden),  Cumlitche  Affleck), 
Slychthoussis  {Sleich),  Hoprig  {Lyle),  Rentoun 
{Home),  Craw  in  Gunnisgrene,  Swyntoun  {of  that 
Ilk),  Lanfurmacus  {Sinclair),  Cockburn  {of  that  Ilk), 
Langtoun  {Cockburn),  Butterden  {Ellem  or  Ellam), 
Grenelaw  {Home),  Reidpeth  {Redpath),  Eist  Nysbet 
{Chirnside),  West  Nisbet  {Ker),  Restalrig  {Ker), 
Eddrem  (  ),  Wyliecleuch  {Ramsay),  Spottis- 

wood  {of  that  Ilk),  Woddirlie  {Edgar),  Thornydikes 
{Brown),  Corsbye  {Crossby  of  that  Ilk,  or  Home), 

*  In  the  Highlands  the  three  pinion  feathers  of  the  eagle  was  the 
distinguishing  badge  of  a  chief,  two  o^  a  chieftain  and  one  of  a 
gentleman.     This  mark  of  nobility  was  as  old  as  the  time  of  Ossian. 


88  The  Border  Cla?is. 

Goodman  of  Moreistoun  {Ker),  Greinlawdene  {Brom- 
Jicld),  Pittilisheuch  (Bromjield'^),  Hardaikers  {Brom- 
field),  Eistfield  {Bro7uJield),  Todrig  {Bromfield), 
Mellertoun    (  ),    Lambden    {Haitlie), 

Buchtrig  {Dicksoii),  Belchester  {^Dickson),  Lithame 
{Dickson),  Peill  {Dickson),  Heirdrig  {Dickson), 
Edingtoun  {Ra7nsay),  Mersingtoun  {Ker,  pre- 
vio2isly  Dickson),  W.  Hume  of  Bassinden,  Guidman 
of  Growadykis  {Duns?),  Guidman  of  Chowislie 
{Cockhtrn),  Burnehoussie  {Pringle),  Lard  Purves  in 
Ersiltoun,  St.  Johnischapell  {Baillie),  Lauder  {of 
that  Ilk),  Bowmaker,  Prentonen  (  Trotter). 

Annanderdaill.  Johnnstoun  {of  that  Ilk),  Apil- 
girth  {Jardine),  Holmendis  {Carruthers),  Corheid 
{Johnstone),  Frenscheland  {French),  Bodisbeik  {Hew- 
itt?), Wamphray  {Johnstone),  Dynwoddie  {of  that 
Ilk,  or  Jardine  or  Maxwell?),  Elscheschelis  {John- 
stone), Halathis  (  ),  Cokpule  {Mtirray), 
Nubye  {Johnstone),  Wormombye  {Irving),  Corrie 
{Johnstone),  Castelmylk  {Stewart  or  Maxwell), 
Boneschaw  {h^vi^tg),  Brydekirk-Carlile  {Carlyle  of 
Bridekirk),  Locarby  {Johnstone),  Purdoun  {Purdo7t 
of  Glendenning?),  Glencors  {of  that  Ilk),  Reidkirk 
{Graham),  Blawatwod  {Graham),  Gillisbye  {Gra- 
ham), Wauchop-Lindsay. 

Roxburgh  and  Selkirk.  Cesfurd  {Ker),  Grene- 
heid  {Ker\  Littleden  {Ker),  Sir  John  Ker  of 
Hirsell,  Fawdounsyde  {Ker),  Gaitschaw  {Ker), 
Corbett   {Ker),   Garden   {Gradon-Ker?),   Schaw  of 

*  In  1607  it  belonged  to  a  Dickson. 


The  Border  Clans.  89 

Dalcoif,  Quhitmore  {Whitmore),  Quhitmurehall 
{Ker),  Sunderlandhall  {Ker^,  Lyntoun  (^Ker^, 
Yair  (A>r),  Phairnyhurst  {Ker^,  Ancrum  (/^^r), 
Robene  Ker  of  Newtoun,  Andro  Ker  of  Newhall, 
Thomas  Ker  of  Caveris,  Wat  Ker  of  Lochtour, 
Andro  Ker  of  Hietoun,  James  Ker  of  Lyntellie, 
Mackerstoun  {Macdougal),  Steidrig  {McDowell  of 
Stodrlg),  Mow  {of  that  Ilk),  Riddell  {of  that  Ilk), 
Edmestoun  {Edmondstone),  Mungo  Bennet  of  Ches- 
teris,  William  Kirktoun  of  Stewartfield,  William 
Anislie  of  Fawlay,  Overtoun  {Fraser),  William 
Mader  of  Langtoun,  Hundeley  {Rutherford),  Vlmx^X.- 
]\\\\  {Rut  her  ford),  Edzarstoun  {Rutherford),  George 
Rutherfud  of  Fairnyngtoun,  David  Rutherfurd  of 
the  Grange,  Johne  Rutherfurde  in  the  Toftis,  Johnne 
Rutherfurd  of  the  Knowe  in  Nysbit,  William  Ruth- 
erfurd in  Littleheuch,  Walter  Turneble  in  Bedroule, 
John  Turneble  of  Mynto,  Hector  Tumble  of  Wau- 
chop,  Tumble  of  Halroule,  George  Tum- 

ble of  the  Toftis,  Hector  Tumble  of  Bernehillis, 
Walter   Tumble    of    Bewlye,  Tumble    of 

Belses,  James  Turneble  of  the  Tour,  Tum- 

ble of  BuUerwall,  Edward  Lorane  of  Harwood,  James 
Douglas  of  Caveris,  sheriff,  William  Douglas  of 
Bonejedburgh,  Tympenden  {Douglas),  Johnne  Doug- 
las of  Quhitrig,  Gavin  Eliot  of  Stobbis,  Well  Eliot 
of  Harthscarth,  tutour  of  Reidheuch,  Will  Eliot  of 
Fallinesche,  Robin  Eliot  of  Braidley,  Mangertoun 
{Armstrong),  Quhittauch  {Armstrong),  Bukcleuch 
{Scot),  Wat  Sc^t  of  Goldelandis,  Robert  Scott  of 
12 


90  The  Border  Clans. 

Allanhauch,  Howpaislott  (Scot),  Glak  {Elphinstone), 
Eidschaw  (Scot),  Syntoun  (Scot),  Lard  of  Hassinden 
(  ),  Walt  Scott  of  Chalmerlane,  Newtoun 

(Scot?),  Guidman  of  Burnefute  (Scot?),  Wat  Scott 
of  Stirkschawis,  Robert  Scott  of  Thirlstane,  James 
Scott  of  Robertoun,  Wat  Scott  of  Harden,  Mr. 
Arthur  Scott  of  Wynterburgh,  Michael  Scott  of  Aik- 
wood,  Will  Scott  of  Hartwodmyris,  Robert  Scott  of 
Hanyng,  Adam  Scott  of  Bonyngtoun,  Wat  Scot  of 
Tuschelaw,  Will  Scott  of  Montbergner,  Philip  Scott 
of  Dryhoip,  Will  Scott  of  Huntlie,  Gledstanis  (Glad- 
stone), Langlandis  (of  that  Ilk),  Chesholm  (of  that 
Ilk),  Ailmure  (Armstrong),  Walter  Vaitche  of  North- 
syntoun,  Patrick  Murray  of  Fawlayhill,  Thom  Dalg- 
leische  of  Deuchar,  Gallowscheilis*  (Pringle),  Quhite- 
bank  (Pringle),  Bukholme  (Pringle),  Torwodley 
(Pringle),  Blindley  (Pringle),  Trinlingknowis  (Prin- 
gle), Newhall  (Pringle),  Torsons  (Pringle),  Murehous 
Pryingle). 

Peblis.  Traquair  (Stewart),  Blakbarony  (Murray), 
Drummelyair  (Tweedie),  Scraling  (Cockburfi),  Pyrne 
(Cranstoun),  Smythfield  (Haye,  anciently  Dickson), 
Maner  (Lowis),  Manerheid  (Inglis),  Posso  (NasmytJi), 
Dawick  (  VeitcJi),  Dreva  (  ),  Charles  Geddes 

of  Rachane,  Polmude  (Hay),  Halkschaw  (Douglas?), 
Furd  (Froude),  Erlhauch  (  ),  Barnis  (Burnet  f), 

Caverhill  (  ),   Fowletche  (Stewart),  Myl- 

*  Galashiels.  Not  derived  from  a  gallows-tree,  but  from  the 
Celtic  gea  Ha,  i.  e.,  sorcery  stone,  a  name  sometimes  given  to 
Druidical  remains. 


The  Border  Clans.  91 

comstOLin-Pringle,  William  Tuedy  of  the  Wra,  Robert 
Creichtoun  of  the  Quarter,  Romannois  {Penicuik^, 
Quothquot  (  ),  Stanypeth-Douglas,  James 

Lausoun  of  Carnemiur,  Sandelandis  of  Boyle,  Pur- 
veshill  {Laverokstane),  Hartrie  {Brozmi),  Mitchell- 
hill  (  ),  Langlandhill  (^Inglis),  Glen  {Bar), 
Erlisochert  {Lindsay),  Cowrehoip  (  ). 

Dumfries.  Drumlanrig  {Douglas),  Macmath  {of 
that  Ilk),  Achingassil  {Maitland),  Achinsell  {Mcn- 
zies),  Closburn  {Kirkpatrick),  Kirkmichael  ( 

),  Amysfield  {Charteris),  Tynewall  {Maxwell), 
Lag  {Grzerson),  Schawis  {Kerf),  Craigdarroch  {Fe7^- 
guson),  Bardannoch  {Pringle),  Cloglyne  (  ), 

Glenislein  {Kirks),  Sundeywall  (  ),  Freir- 

Kers  {Kerse  of  Frier),  Conhaith  {Maxwell),  Kirk- 
connel  {Maxzvell.  There  zuere  also  both  Gordons  and 
Irvings  of  Kirkconnel),  Carnesalloch  {Maxwell), 
Spottis  {Hume),  Tarrachtie  (  ),  Eglisfechan 

{Car  rtct  hers),  Partoun  {Glendenning),  Almygill 
{MacBrair),  Robgill  {Irving),  Hoilhouse  {Arm- 
strong), Linclouden  (  ),  Coschogill  {Douglas), 
Dalvene  {Douglas),  Castelhill  {Menzies),  Erll  Mor- 
toun.  Lord  Sanquhar,  Lord  Maxwell,  Lord  Hereis. 
Although  official  this  roll  is  not  perfect.  Dickson 
of  Ormeston,  Co.  Peebles  is  omitted,  but  the  family 
were  seated  there  as  early  at  least  as  1 390-1406,  and 
twelve  years  later  than  the  date  of  this  list  Dickson 
of  Ormeston  signed  a  Band  to  the  King. 

A  Band  or  Bond,  dated  August  6,  1591,  preserved 
in  Rymer's  Foedera,  contains  the  names  of  several 


92  The  Border  Clans. 

Barons  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Eastern  Marches  who 
pledged  themselves  faithfully  to  serve  the  King 
against  Earl  Bothwell.  It  was  signed  by  "  Cesford 
(A'^r*),  Minto  {Ttcrnbull),  Hundley  (^^r/ ^/)  Wat 
of  Badroul  {Walter  Ttirnbull  of  Bedrule),  Jedburgh 
{Provost  of),  Harlwood  {Inglis  ?)  Wedderburne 
{Home),  Huttonhall  {Home),  Alexander  Hume  of 
Northberick,  Maynes  Ayton  younger  {Hume,  Jr.  of 
Ay  ton),  James  Bronfield  for  the  surname  of  the 
Bronfields,  John  Readpith,  Patrick  Dixson,  Blacader 
younger  {Home  Jr.  of  Blackadde),  East  {Home), 
Nisbet  {of  that  Ilk),  Innerwick  {of  that  Ilk),  Swin- 
ton  {of  that  Ilk),  Baylie  {of  St.  Johns  Chapel), 
Renton  {of  Billie  ?),  Pranderguest  {Home),  Andro 
Car  {Ker)  of  Fawside,  Saltcoats  {Livingstone),  Her- 
miston  (  ),  and  as  Rymer  adds,  "  With 

sundry  others." 

Another  Band  to  be  found  in  the  Records  of  the 
Privy  Council  was  signed  at  Edinburgh  the  same 
day,  and  to  the  same  effect,  as  follows  : — 

"  The  subscribers  faithfully  promise  to  serve  and 
obey  the  King,  his  lieutenants  and  wardens  in  all 
things  tending  to  the  advancement  and  forthsetting 
of  his  majesty's  authority,  and  in  particular  in  the 
pursuit  of  Francis,  sometime  Earl  Bothwill,  Alexan- 
der, Lord  Hume  and  other  declared  traitors,  their 
assistors,  resetters  and  intercommuners.  Should  any 
of  the  said  rebels  come  within  the  bounds  or  lands 
of  the  said  subscribers  they  will  apprehend  them  if 

*  Surnames  in  italics  added  by  the  author. 


The  Border  Clans.  93 

they  can  'or  utherwayis  sail  schowte  and  rais  the 
fray'  with  their  whole  forces  and  join  with  others 
against  them  *  *  *  under  the  penalty  of  10,000 
merks  each." 

Subscribed  at  Edinburgh  this  6th  August,  1591, 
by  "Cessfurde  {Ker),  Bukcleugh  (Scoi),  Johnne 
Edmonstoun,  G.  Houm  of  Broxmouth,  G.  Lauder  of 
Bas,  Andro  Ker  of  Lyntoun,  James  Douglas  of 
Cavers,  David  Rentowne  of  Billie,  Alexander  Dik- 
soun,  George  Trottar  of  Keirtoun,  J.  Reidpeth,  Wil- 
liam Reidpeth,  Johnne  Graden,  William  Furd, 
Johnne  Rutherfurd,  *  *  *  of  West  Neisbit, 
Watt  Turnbull  of  Bedroule,  Johnne  Turnbull  of 
Mynto,  Hector  Turnbull  of  Wauchope,  Robert  Dik- 
soun  of  Buchtrig,  Andro  Diksoun  of  Belchester, 
George  Haitlie  in  Hordlaw  and  John  Graden  of 
Ernlslaw." 

Ridpath  in  his  Border  History  says  of  the  first  of 
these  two  Bonds  that  it  was  signed  by  "  Most  of  the 
considerable  barons  and  gentlemen." 

Five  signed  both  bonds  but  with  the  customary 
carelessness  spelt  their  names  differently  in  the  two 
documents. 

Of  the  forty-one  signers  whose  names  have  been 
preserved  four  were  Dicksons. 

In  concluding  this  brief  sketch  I  now  copy  Moni- 
penny's  List  of  the  Border  Clans  in  1597,  from  the 
edition  of  1603,  reprinted  by  Baron  Somers  (London, 
1809),  ^s  the  list  which  is  especially  interesting  to 
Genealogists  is  omitted  in  the  later  editions  of  that 


94  The  Border  Clans. 

scarce  little  tract,  which  is  of  triflinof  value  otherwise, 
the  remainder  being  merely  an  abbreviation  of  Hec 
tor  Boece,  the  most  untrustworthy  of  Scottish   His- 
torians. 

The  Names  of  the  principall  Clannes  and  Sur- 
names of  the  Borders,  not  landed,  and  Chiefe  Men 
of  Name  amongst  them  at  this  present.      A.  D,  1597. 

[This  heading  is  evidently  incorrect,  as  in  the  pre- 
ceding Government  Roll  of  1590  many  of  the  follow- 
ing names  occur  under  "  Landed  Men."  The  title 
should  be  "  landed,  and  not  landed,"  for  those  styled 
"of  "were  landowners,  and  those  called  "  in  "  were 
tenants,  but  still  chief  men  of  name.  As,  for  instance, 
William  Trotter  of  Foulschawe  was  a  landlord,  while 
Cuthbert  Trotter  in,  Fogo,  although  a  leading  man, 
was  not. 

While  the  eldest  son  was  styled  "  younger  of,"  the 
term  in  seems  sometimes  to  have  been  given  to  the 
younger  members  of  the  family.  John  Dickson  de 
Belchester  is  mentioned  in  1539,  but  in  1603  we  meet 
with  a  John  Dickson  i7i  Belchester.] 

East  March. 
Brumfields. 
John  Brumfield,  tutor  of  Greynelawdene,  Adam 
Brumfield  of  Hardaikers,  Brumfield  of  Pittilisheuch, 
Alexander  Brumfield  of  Eastfield,  Alexander  Brum- 
field of  Hasilton  Maynes,  James  Brumfield  of  Whyte- 
house,  the  Laird  of  Todderike,  Alexander  Brumfield 
of  Gordon  Maines. 


The  Border  Clans.  95 

Trotter. 

The  Laird  of  Pentennen,  William  Trotter  of 
Foulschawe,  Cuthbert  Trotter  in  Fogo,  Tome  Trot- 
ter of  the  Hill. 

Diksons. 

The  goodman  of  Buchtrig  *  The  goodman  of 
Bolchester,  Dikson  of  Hassington,  Dikson  in  New- 
bigging. 

Ridpaths. 
Thomas  Ridpath  of  Crumrig,  Alexander  Ridpath 
of  Angelraw. 

Haitlies. 

The  goodman  of  Lambden,  John  Haitlie  of  Brume- 
hill,  George  Haitlie  in  Hardlaw,  Lawrence  Haitlie 
in  Haliburton. 

Gradems. 

Jasper  Graden  in  Ernislaw. 

Young. 

James  Young  of  the  Criffe,  Will  Young  of  Otter- 
burne,  David  Young  of  Oxemsyde,  William  Scott  of 
Feltershawes. 


*  This  is  an  error,  as  both  Buhtrig  and  Belchester  were  tenants 
in  capite,  or  crown  vassals  holding  charters  from  the  king.  The 
distinction  formerly  recognized  was  that  the  laird  was  a  crown  vas- 
sal or  baron;  the  gudeman,  one  who  held  his  lands  from  a  baron, 
and  when,  in  place  of  military  service,  a  return  was  made  in  grain 
or  in  money,  he  was  sometimes  called  a  feuar. 


96  The  Border  Clans. 

Davisons. 
Roben    Davison    of    Symeston,    Jok    Davison    of 
Quhitton,  James  Davison  of   Byrnirig,  George  Davi- 
son of  Throgdan. 

Pringils. 
James  Hoppringill  of  Towner,  Walt   Hoppringill 
of   Clifton,  John    Hoppringill   of   the    Bents,   David 
Hoppringill  of  Morbottle. 

Tates. 
Will  Tate  in  Stankfurde,  David  Tate  in  Cheritries, 
David  Tate  in  Bair-ers,  Will  Tate  in  Zettane. 

Middelmaists. 
Robin  Middilemaist  in  Milrig. 

Burnes. 

David  Burne  of  Ellisheuch,  Ralph  Burne  of  the 
Coit. 

Daglesches. 

Jok  Dagleisch  of  Bank,  Robert  Dagleisch  in  Wide- 
open. 

Gilchristis. 

Hugh  Gilchrists  called  of  Cowbene,  Will  Gilchrist 
in  Cavertoun. 

Hall. 

John  Hall  of  Newbigging,  George  Hall  called 
Pats  Geordie  there,  Andrew  Hall  of  the  Sykes,  Thorn 
Hall  in  Fowlscheils. 


The  Border  Clans.  97 

Pyle. 
George  Pyle  in  Mllkheuch,  John  Pyle  in  Swynsyde. 

Robeson. 
Ralph  Robeson  in  Prenderlech,  Rinzean   Robeson 
in  Howston. 

Anislie, 
William    Anislie    of    Fawlaw,    Lancie    Anislie    in 
Oxnem. 

Oliver. 
David   Oliver    in    Hynhanchheid,   Will    Oliver  in 
Lustruther,  George  Oliver  in  Clarely. 

Laidlow. 
Ryne    Laidlow    in    the    Bank,    John     Laidlow    in 
Sonnysyde. 

LiDDESDAIL. 

The  Laird  of  Mangerton  (^Arnistrong'^'),  The 
Lairds  Jok  {Armstrong),  Chrystie  of  the  Syde 
(Armstrojig). 

Quhithauch. 
The  Laird  of  Quhithauch  {Armstrong),  Johnie  of 
Quhithauch  {Armstrong),  Sym  of  the  Maynes  {Arm- 
strong). 

*  Mangerton  was  the  chief  of  the  Armstrongs.  The  famous  Gil- 
nochie  was  a  son  of  this  house.  The  Laird's  Jok  signifies  The 
Laird's  son  Jok. 

The  names  in  parenthesis  are  my  own  addition. 

13 


98  The  Border  Clans. 

Merietozvn  Quarter. 
Archie    of    Westburnflat    (^Armstrong),    Wanton 
Sym  in  Ouhitley  Syde  (Arfustrong),  Will  of   Pow- 
derlanpat  (^Armstrong). 

Ellots. 
Redheuch,'^'  Robert  Eliot  and  Martyne  Eliot. 

TJioirlishop. 
Rob  of  Thoirlishop,  Arthur  fyre  the  Brays  {Eliot). 

Gorimiberie. 
Archie  Keene,  Wil  of  Morspatrikshors  {Eliot). 

Parke. 
Johnne  of  the  Park,  Gray  Wil. 

Burnheid. 
Gawins  J  ok,  Ade  Cowdais. 

Welschaw. 
Wil  Colichis  Hob,  Hob  of  Bowholmes. 

Nikso7is. 
John    Nikson    of    Laiest    burne,   Georgies    Harie 
Nikson,  Cleme  Nikson,  called  the  Crune. 

Crosers. 
Hob    Croser    called     Hob    of    Ricarton,    Martin 
Croser,  Cokkis  John  Croser,  Noble  Clemeis  Croser. 


*  The  Laird  of  Larriston  was  the  chief  rider  of  the  Ehots,  who 
were  often  called  Elwoods  and  Elwands. 


The  Border  Clans.  99 

Hendersons. 
RInzian    Henderson    in    Armiltonburne,   Jenkyne 
Henderson  in  Kartley. 

Debaitable   Land. 

Sandcis  Barnes  Armestrangs. 
Will    of    Kinmouth,    Krystie     Armestrang,    John 
Skynbanke. 

Lardh  Rinzians  Gang. 
Lairdis     Rinziane,""^    Lairdis    Robbie,    Rinzian    of 

Wauchop. 

Grahams. 

Priors,  John  and  his  Bairnes,  Hector  of  the  Har- 
law,  The  griefs  and  cuts  of  Harlaw. 

EWISDAILL. 

Armestrangs  of  the  Gyngils. 
Ekke    of    the    Gyngils,   Andrew  of   the    Gyngils, 
Thome  of  Glendoning. 

Scotts. 
Thome  of  the  Flower,  Anfe  of  the  Busse. 

Ellots. 
John  the  Portars  sonne.  Will  of  Devisleyes,  Wil 
the  lord, 

ESKDAILL. 

Battisons  of  Cowghorlac. 
David     Batie,    Hugh    Batie,    Mungoes    Arthurie, 
Adame  of  the  Burne. 


*  Rinzian  is  the  common  pronunciation  of  Ninian. 


loo  The  Border  Clans. 

Batisons  of  the  Scheill. 
Nichol   of  the  Scheill,  Androw  of  Zetbyre,  John 
the  Braid,  Wat  of  the  Corse. 

Johnes. 
John  Armstrang  of  Hoilhous,  John  Armstrang  of 
Thornequhat,  Wil  Armstrang  of  Ternsnihil. 

Lit  tils. 
John  Littill  of  Casshoke,  Thome  Littill  of  Finglen, 
Ingrahames  Archie  Littill. 

Anandaill. 

Irivingis. 
Edward  of  Bonschaw,  Lang  Richies  Edward,  John 
the    young    Duke,    Chrystie    Cothquhat,    Willie    of 
Graitnayhill. 

Bellis. 
Will    Bell    of   Alby,    John    Bell    of   the    Tourne, 
Mathie    Bell    called    the    King,   Andro    Bell    called 
Lokkis  Andro,  Will  Bell  Reidcloke. 

Carlilles. 
Adam  Carlile  of  Bridekerk,  Alexander  Carlile  of 
Eo-leforhame. 

Grahams. 
George  Grahame  of  Reupatrik,  Arthour  Grahame 
of   Blawoldwood,  Richie  Grahame  called  the  Plump. 

Thompsons. 
Young   Archie  Thomson,  Sym  Thomson   in   Pol- 
loden. 


The  Border  Clans.  loi 

Romes. 
Roger  Rome  in  Tordoweth,  Mekle  Sandie  Rome 
there. 

Gasses. 
David     Gasse    in    Barch,    John    Gasse    Michael's 
Sonne  in  Rig. 

Monipenny  says  the  last  twenty-one,  viz.  :  the 
Irvings,  Bells,  Carlisles,  Grahams,  Thomsons,  Romes 
and  Gasses,  were  "  Chief  men  of  name  not  being 
lairds." 

The  list  is  imperfect,  and  perhaps  it  was  for  that 
reason  it  was  omitted  in  the  later  editions.  The 
author  has  not  even  mentioned  the  Homes,  Kers, 
Johnstones,  Turnbulls  and  others,  and  has  hardly 
named  the  Scotts.  Under  Liddesdale  the  surnames 
of  the  first-named  families  are  not  given,  but  the 
Eliots  and  Grahams  appear  twice,  the  Armstrongs 
oftener,  and  in  one  place  they  are  classed  under  the 
Johnes,  and  the  Beatties  are  called  both  Baties  and 
Battisons. 

They  were  fond  of  to-names,  which  were  in  fact 
necessary  for  distinction  when  there  were  so  few 
baptismal  names  scattered  through  a  clan,  and  some 
of  the  sobriquets  are  peculiar.  An  Eliot  of  Thorles- 
hope  is  styled  Arthur  Fire-the-braes.  Braes  gener- 
ally signify  hills  or  the  upper  part  of  the  country,  as 
the  Braes  of  Angus.  Did  he  fire  the  braes  as  the 
North  American  Indians  fire  the  prairies  ?  Another 
Eliot  is  called  the  porter's  son.     One   Bell  is  called 


I02  The  Border  Clans. 

the  King  and  another  Redcloak  ;  but  what  does  the 
name  of  a  Graham  signify,  "The  griefs  and  cuts  of 
Harlaw  ?" 

In  the  records  of  the  privy  council  I  find  a  Gib 
Eliot  called  Sweet  Milk,  another  Elliot  called  the 
Cleg  {^gadfly),  and  a  third  Cauldfute  {cold  foot)  ;  an 
Armstrong  is  styled  Bonybutis  {pretty  boots).  Hob 
Johnstone  is  called  Goode  at  Evin  {Good  in  the 
evening)  ;  Wil  Scot,  Stand  in  the  rain  ;  J  ok  Scot, 
As-it-Luikis  {As  it  looks)  ;  John  Innes  Garmouth 
callit  the  Sweet  Man,  and  John  Adam  callit  Meat 
and  Rest ! 

Monipenny  gives  another  list,  of  which  I  only 
copy  that  part  referring  to  the  Borders.  It  is  as 
follows  : 

The  Names  of  the  Barons,  Lairds  and  chiefe  Gen- 
tlemen in  every  Sherifdome. 

As  they  were  Anno  Domini,  1597. 

Berzvike  and  Lawderdaill. 
L.  of  Wedderburne,  Home.  L.  of  Blacatour, 
Home.  L.  of  Aytoun,  Home.  L.  of  Coldenknowes, 
Home.  L.  of  Polwart,  Home.  Hume  of  Manders- 
toun.  Home,  L.  of  Hutonhall,  Home.  L,  of  Lang- 
ton  \Cockburn\''^'  L.  of  Billie  \Jlentoii\.   L.  of  Blanerne 


*  The  names  in  brackets  were  added  by  Baron  Somers,  those  in 
parenthesis  by  myself;  but  sometimes  lairdships  changed  lands, 
and  again  it  occasionally  happened  that  there  were  more  places 
than  one  of  the  same  name.  There  was  more  than  one  Newbigging 
(New  house),  and  probably  more  than  one  Nubie  or  Newby  (New 
dwelling),  and  at  least  three  Ormistons.  In  such  cases  it  is  not 
always  certain  which  is  the  one  referred  to. 


The  Border  Clans.  103 

\Luinsdeii\.  L.  of  Cumletche,  Aflek  {/Iffleclc).  L.  of 
Y.6An^\.OMw\Rainsay\.  Slychthous  (^'A.'zV/^).  Butter- 
dayne  {^Elleui  or  Ellame?^.  Hoprig  (^Lyle).  East 
WishGt  {C/urnside).  West  Nisbet  [A>r].  Wedclcrlle 
[^Edo-ar\  Thorniedykes  [Browne\  L.  of  Spottiswood 
\ofthat  Illz\.  Cranstoiinof  Thirlstane-maines.  Cors- 
bie  {Crossby  of  tJiat  Ilk,  or  Home?).  Bemersyde 
\Haig\.  Mertoun  \JrIalib2irton\.  L,  Swyntoun  \Swin- 
toii\.  L.  Redpeth  \^Ridpath  |.  Greenlaw  \Hoine\ 
Lochurmachus  [6'zVz^/(f?/r].  L.  Glammilscheilis,  Home. 
Wylielewcht  (^Ramsay). 

Roxburgh. 
L.  of  Cesfurde,  Ken      L.  of  Litledane,  Ken      L.  of 
Greynhede,  Ken      L.  of  Corbet,  Ken     Gradon,  Ken 
Ker  of  Gaitschaw.    Mow  [^Mozv  or  Molle\  {of  thai  Ilk). 
Haddon  \_Murray\.     Sheriffe  of  Teviotdaill',  Dowg- 
lasse.      Tymperden,   Douglas.      Hundeley  [^Ruther- 
ford'].   Hunth'iW  [Rutherford].   Edz3.rstoun  [Ruther- 
ford].      Bedreiill,  Turnebull.       Mynto   [Stewart].* 
Wawchop  [Turnbull].     William  Turnebull  of  Barn- 
hills.    George  Turnebull  of  Halreull.    Hector  Lorane 
of  Harwood.     Grinyslaw  of  little  Norton.      Mader  of 
Langton.      Mungo    Bennet    of    Chestis.     Overtoun, 
Frasien       Riddale  of   that  Ilk.       L.   Makkayrstoun 
{Makdowgal).     Andrew  Ker  of  Fadounsyde.      L.  of 
Bakeleuch,  Scot.      Raph  Haliburton  of  Mourhouslaw. 

*  In  1329  the  lands  of  Mynto  belonged  to  Walter  Turnbull,  but  in 
the  time  of  Robert  III  (i 390-1406)  they  were  divided  between  the 
Turnbulls  and  the  Stewarts,  who  both  possessed  them  until  about 
1622,  when  they  again  changed  hands. 


I04  The  Border  Clans. 

Thomas  Ker  of  Cavers.  Howpasloth,  Scott.  Baron 
Gledstanes  \^Gladsto7te~\.  Langlands  [^Laiiglands]. 
William  Eliot  of  Torslyhill.  Scott  of  Sintoun.  Scott 
of  Eydschaw.  Walter  Vaitch  of  Northsintoun.  Scott 
of  Glseke.  L.  of  Chesholme  of  that  Ilk.  L.  of  Crans- 
toun  (^Cransioivn).  Kirktoun  of  Stewartfield.  L.  of 
Linton,  Ker.    Ker  of  Ancrum.    Carncors  of  Colmislie. 

Dumfries  zvitJi  the  Stezvartries  of  Kirkcudbright 
and  Aiiandail. 
L.  of  Lochin-war,  Gordon.  L.  of  Troquhayre, 
Gordon.  L.  of  Barskeoche,  Gordon.  L.  of  Airdis, 
Gordon.  Sheirmaes,  Gordon.  Gordon  of  the  Cule. 
L.  of  Broiighton,  Murray.  L.  of  Dalbatie  {Reddik, 
Rodyk  or  RcriJS).  L.  of  Portoun,  Glendonlng.  L.  of 
Bomby  {Maclellan^.  Maclellane  of  Masrtoun.  L.  of 
Cardenes  {Macculloch).  Lidderdaill  of  S.  Mary  He. 
Lindesay  of  Barcloy.  Heries  of  Madinhoip.  L.  of 
Mabie,  Hereis.  Macknaught  of  Kilquhanatie.  Glen- 
duynning  of  Drumrasche.  Maxwell  of  the  Hill.  Sin- 
clair of  Auchinfranke.  Maxwell  of  the  Logane.  Max- 
well of  Dromcoltrane.  Stewart  of  Fintillauche. 
Levinston  of  Little  Ardis.  L.  of  Drumlanrig,  Dowg- 
lasse.  Dowglasse  of  Caskogill.  Creichtoiin  of  Carco. 
Creichtoun  of  Liberie.  Macmath  of  that  Ilk.  Dowg- 
lasse of  Dalvene.  Menzies  of  Castelhill.  Menzies  of 
Auchinsell.  L.  of  Auchingassill,  Maitland.  L.  of 
Closeburne,  Kirk  Patrik.  Kirkmichael.  Goodman  of 
Frier,  Kerse.  L.  of  Lag,  Grier  {Griersofi).  L.  of 
Amysfield,  Charteris.     Maxwell  of  Gowhill.     Maxwell 


The  Border  Clans.  105 

of  Portcrrake.  Maxwell  of  Tynwald.  Maxwell  of  Con- 
haith.  Maxwell  of  Carnsallauch.  Maxwell  of  the  He. 
Browne  of  the  Lawne.  Cunningham  of  Kirkschaw. 
L.  of  Craigdarroch  {FergMsoti).  L.  of  Bardannoch 
{jP?i7igle?^.  Kirko  of  Glenesslane.  Ballagane  (//?/;/- 
terf).  \^.o{]o\\x\&'sX(y^w(^Johnsto7ie).  L.  of  Wamfra, 
Johnestone.  L.  of  Eschescheilis  (^JoJmstone).  L,  of 
Corheid,  Johnstone.  L.  of  Corry  (^Johnstone).  L.  of 
Newbie,  Johnstone.  L.  of  Graitnay,  Johnestone. 
Johnstone  of  Craighop-burne.  Johnestone  of  New- 
tone.  Johnstone  of  Kirkton.  L.  of  Apilgirth,  Jarden. 
L.  of  Holmends  {Carrttthers).  L.  of  Cockpoole, 
Murray.  L.  of  Moryquhat  {MiLrray  of  Murray- 
thzvaite).  L.  of  Wormondby  {Irving).  L.  of  Knok 
(^Knox  f).  Goodman  of  Granton  {Melville  or  Gor- 
don?).     Boidisbyke  {Hewitt?). 

Peiblis. 
The  Knight  of  Traquair,  Stewart.  L.  of  Pyrn, 
Cranstoun.  L.  of  Horsburgh  \HorsburgJi\.  L.  of 
Greistown  {Middelmaist  ?).  L.  of  Cardono  [  William- 
son^. L.  of  Henderstown  {Ephinstone).  L.  of  Smeyth- 
field  \Haye^  {anciently  Dickson).  L,  of  Winkiston 
[^Twedie^  {anciently  Dickson).  L.  of  Blackbarrony, 
Murray.  Bernys  [Burnet\  Caverhill.  Fowlloeche, 
Stewart.  L.  of  Drummelzear,Twedie.  Dawik  [  Veitc/i], 
Fobinde  [Htmter\  Frude  {Froude).  Halkshaw 
{Douglas?).  G\Qu.g\r\s.{Porteo7Cs  of  Glen  kirk).  Geddes 
of  Rachane.  Inglis  of  Langlandhill.  L.  of  Straling, 
Hartrie  {Brown,  afterward  Dickson).  Roman nos 
14 


io6  TJie  Border  Clans. 

\Pennicuik\.  Prettishoil.  Meluingshland  {anciently 
Dickso7i).  Oxm.^'sXowxx  {Dicksoii).  ^QXvy\.own{Wooa^. 
Posso,  Nasmyth.     John  Hamilton  of  Coltcote. 

Entire  dependence  cannot  be  placed  upon  this 
list,  as  among  the  Highland  Clans  I  find  Monipenny 
calls  the  then  Lord  Lovat  John,  while  on  the 
contrary  his  name  was  Hugh.  It  appears  to  be  an 
appendix  to  his  first  list,  but  still  imperfect. 

Some  Scottish  families  have  been  described  with 
reference  to  the  qualities  of  their  more  conspicuous 
members.  I  am  indebted  principally  to  Dr.  Rogers 
{JTraits  and  Stories  of  the  Scottish  People^,  for  the 
following  list  in  alphabetical  order,  but  must  confess 
to  having  omitted  a  few,  which,  to  say  the  least,  were 
not  complimentary. 

The  sturdy  Armstrongs. 
The  trusty  Boyds.* 
The  famous  Dicksons. 
The  lucky  Duffs. 
The  bauld  (bold)  Erasers. 
The  gay  Gordons. 
The  gallant  Grahams. 
The  haughty  Hamiltons. 
The  handsome  Hays. 
The  haughty  Humes. 
The  jingling  Jardines. 
The  gentle  Johnstones.f 

*  So  called  by  Blind  Harry  five  centuries  ago. 
tThis  must  have  been  ironical. 


The  Border  Clans.  107 

The  angry  Kerrs. 

The  Hght  Lindsays.* 

The  brave  Macdonalds. 

The  fiery  Mackintoshes. 

The  proud  Macneils.  . 

The  black  Macreas. 

The  wild  Macraws. 

The  manly  Morrisons. 

The  muckle  mou'ed  Murrays.f 

The  gentle  Neilsons. 

The  bauld  Rutherfords. 

The  saucy  Scotts. 

The  proud  Setons.!]; 

The  pudding  Somervilles.§ 

The  worthy  Watsons. 

Not  only  Borderers  but  also  Highlanders  and 
Lowlanders  are  included  in  the  above.  The  latter 
were  the  inhabitants  of  Fife  and  the  Lothians,  which 
were  situated  between  the  two  others.  The  Douof- 
lasses  had  two  appellations  :  the  house  of  Angus  was 
characterized  as  The  red  Douglas  ;  that  of  Liddes- 
dale  as  The  black  Douglas. 


*  "The  Lindsays  light  and  gay ." 

tThe  origin  of  this  appellation  is  too  well  known  to  be  repeated. 

\  Or  tall  and  proud  as  the  Setons. 

§  From  a  king's  joke.  King  James  V  was  often  entertained  at 
the  hospitable  board  of  Lord  Somerville  and  told  him  he  ought  to 
carry  a  pudding  in  his  coat  of  arms. 


io8  The  Border  Clans. 

The  Border  Clans  were  broken  up  about  the  time 
of  the  Union  of  the  Crowns,  A.  D.  1603,  when  the 
King  prohibited  the  name  of  the  Borders  any  longer 
to  be  used,  substituting  in  its  place  those  of  middle 
shires.  He  also  ordered  all  the  places  of  strength 
to  be  demolished  except  the  habitations  of  noblemen 
and  barons,  their  iron  gates  to  be  converted  into 
plough-shares,  and  the  inhabitants  to  betake  them- 
selves to  agriculture  and  other  works  of  peace. 

Peace  did  not  immediately  follow  however.  In 
1609  the  Earl  of  Dunbar  informs  the  King  that  he 
had  cut  off  "  the  Laird  of  of  Tynwald,  Maxwell,  sun- 
dry Douglasses,  Johnstones,  Jardines,  Armstrongs, 
Beatisons  and  sic  others,  inagni  nominis  luces  in  that 
broken  parts,"  and  thereby  rendered  that  part  of  the 
kingdom  peaceable.  In  1618  a  hundred  and  twenty 
men  of  the  Borders  were  apprehended  by  the  land- 
lords and  wardens  of  the  Middle  Marches  and  sent 
to  the  Bohemian  Wars,  and  as  late  as  1637,  a  com- 
mission headed  by  the  Earl  of  Traquair  sat  at  Jed- 
burgh, when  a  great  number  were  branded,  fined  or 
banished,  and  thirty  were  hanged. 

But  highwaymen  plied  their  trade  in  the  suburbs 
of  the  very  city  of  London  itself  long  after  the 
Borders  were  comparatively  secure. 


INDEX  OF  DICKSON  LANDED  TITLES. 


(Ire- 


Alton,  167. 
Banchrie,  153. 
Barnhill,  169. 
Barretstone   Castle 

land),  165. 
Belchester,  142. 
Birghem,  140. 
Blackbeck,  168. 
Buhtrig,  133. 
Biirnhouse,  i  70. 
Byrtonane,  148. 
Carberry,  vide  Inveresk 
Chatto,  168. 
Chisholme,  167. 
Clockbriggs,  169. 
Clonleharde,  1 70. 
Clontls,  170. 


Landlords. 

Haddington,  162. 
Harlaw,  161. 
Hartrie,  151. 
Hassington  Maines,  153. 
Herdrig,  150. 
Hazelside,  118,  120,  124. 
Hutcheonfield,  127. 
Inveresk,  155. 
Karnes,  158. 
Kennetsidehead,  155. 
Kilbucho,  vide  Hartrie. 
Leitholm,  144. 
Loanhead,  159. 
Locharwoods,  163. 
Mailingsland,  148. 
Mersington,  146. 
Monibuie,  164. 
Newbigging,  154. 


Cowiswark,  1 70. 
Glenham  Hall  (England),  Newtoiin,  155. 
vide  Belchester.  Ormeston,  145. 


no  Index  of  Dickson  Landed  Titles. 


Overmains,  i6o. 
Panbride,  169. 
Peill,  159. 
Peelwalls,  169. 
Persilands,  166. 
Ouhitrig,  170. 
Roskuniefield,  1 70. 
Smithfield,  147, 
Sornbeg,  133. 
Stane,  163. 
Stonefaulds,  155. 


Airhouse,  171, 
Ancrum,  i  71. 
Bankhead,  171. 
Bonytoiin,  i  70. 
Bothkennar,  i  70. 
Broughton,  171. 
Carphray,  171. 
Challachwrek,  i  70. 
Crawmond,  170. 
Easthopes,  171. 
Elistoun,  I  70. 
Esschesteill,  i  71. 
Fairnyrig,  i  7r. 
Fechane,  171. 
Glenpoite,  170. 
Gordon,  171. 


Sydenham,  161. 
Symonston,  ti8,  121,  124. 
Tulyquhendlaw,  151. 
Wester  Binning,  165. 
Westraw,  162. 
Westerhall,  165. 
Whitecross,  169. 
Whitslaid,  162. 
Winkston,  149. 
Woodville,  169. 


Tenants. 


Goiirdis,  171. 
Grene,  171. 
.Inglestoun,  170. 
Le  Kingis  Barnis,  170. 
Luthrie,  170. 
Manerkirk,  171. 
Meginch,  171. 
MertOLin,  171. 
Newtounhead,  171. 
Preston,  171. 
Quodqiion,  171. 
Railston,  170. 
Rothuylt,  170. 
Scotlandwell,  171. 
Snawdoiin,  171. 


Corstorphine,  168.  Stockton,  170. 

Gothenburg  (Sweden),  167. 


Index  of  Dickson  Landed  Titles. 


I II 


Members  of  Parliament,    171, 

Arms. 


Belchester,  172. 
Blackbeck,  172. 
Buhtrig,  172, 
Chatto,  172. 
Clockbriggs,  i  ^2i- 
Clonleharde,  173. 
Huntlaw,  173. 
Ilk,  of  that,  I  ']i. 
Inveresk,  173. 


Newbigging,  173. 
Ormiston,  173. 
Panbride,  174. 
Smithfield,  174. 
Sydenham,  i  74. 
Wester  Binning,  1 74. 
Winkston,  i  74. 
Woodville,  174. 


Alexander  G.Dickson,  174.  Isabel  Dyxcoun,  175. 
B.  Homer  Dixon,  175.        Sir  Jeremiah  Dickson,  i  75. 
Charles  Decksoune,  175.    Baron  Oscar  Dickson,  175, 
Sir  Collingwood  Dickson,  Richard  Dickson,  1 76. 

175- 


THE  CLAN  DICKSON. 


Like  all  surnames  the  name  of  this  clan  has  been 
variously  written  at  different  periods. 

In  a  charter  from  King  Robert  Bruce,  about  A. 
D.  1306,  to  Thomas  Dicson,  it  occurs  as  filius  Ricardi 
{son  of  Richard^,  and  the  charter  is  indorsed  "Carta 
Thome  fil  Dick." 

It  has  also  been  written : 


Decksoune.  Dickesoun.  Dikkesone. 

Dekonsoun.  Dickiesoune.  Dikkonsone. 

Dekysoun.  Dickesone.  Dikonsoun. 

Dykisoun.  Dikesoun.  Dikson. 

Dykysoun.  Dikesone.  Diksone. 

Dykkyson.  Dikeson.  Diksoune. 

Dyckison.  Dikison.  Diksoun. 

Dycson.  Dikisoune.  Dixson. 

Dykson.  Dikysoun.  Dixon. 

Dyxcoun.  Dikconsoune.        Dickson. 

Dicson. 

Perhaps  also  Diksame,   for  in  a  list  of    Scottish 

Noblemen    and  Gentlemen   taken    prisoners  at  the 
battle  of  Solway  Moss  in  1542,  occurs  the  name  John 
Diksame,  who  was  probably  a  Dickson. 
15 


114  ^-^^^  Clan  Dickson. 

These  variations  of  spelling  proper  names  are  not 
peculiar  to  Scotland.  I  think  it  was  Dugdale  who 
stated  that  he  had  found  over  one  hundred  and  forty 
variations  of  the  name  of  Mainwaring  or  Mannering, 
anciently  de  Mesnilwarin. 

Dickson  is  now  the  usual  form  in  Scotland,  but  in 
England  where  the  similar  name  is  not  a  clan  name, 
and  where  there  are  numerous  different  families  who 
do  not  pretend  to  claim  a  common  origin,  but  all 
derive  their  surname  from  being  sons  of  various 
Dicks,  it  is  almost  invariably  written  Dixon. 

The  clan  are  descended  from  the  Keiths,  Earls 
Marshall,  one  of  the  most  powerful  families  in  Scot- 
land, when,  with  the  sole  exception  of  the  Royal 
Family,  the  title  of  Earl  was  the  highest  in  the 
kingdom,  and  who  had  so  many  possessions  that  it 
was  formerly  said  that  they  could  journey  from  the 
north  to  the  south  of  Scotland  and  sleep  every  night 
in  one  of  their  own  castles. 

This  descent  is  proved  by  no  less  than  three  entries 
in  the  Records  of  the  Lyon  Office  between  the  years 
1672  and  1694. 

And  here  it  may  be  well  to  explain  that  during  a 
temporary  occu^Dation  of  the  country  by  the  English 
most  of  the  public  records,  including  those  of  the 
Lyon  Office,  were  shipped  to  London  and  lost  at  sea, 
and  about  the  year  1670,  the  remaining  records  of 
that  office  were  destroyed  by  fire. 

The  earliest  Register  of  Arms,  now  extant,  is  that 
of  Sir  David   Lindsay,  Lord   Lyon   King  at  Arms, 


The  Clan  Dickson.  1 1 5 

containing  over  three  hundred  shields  beautifully 
emblazoned,  with  the  names  added,  as  "  Dikesoun  of 
yat  Ilk."  This  which  was  executed  about  1542,  was 
authenticated  by  the  Scottish  Privy  Council  in  1630, 
and  is  preserved  in  the  Advocate's  library. 

In  1672,  an  act  of  Parliament  was  made  ordaining 
all  the  nobility  and  gentry  to  register  their  armorial 
bearings,  but  Nisbet  complains  that  many  of  the 
most  ancient  and  considerable  families  neelected  to 
register,  partly  through  indolence  and  partly  through 
a  false  pride,  considering  themselves,  so  well  known 
that  it  was  unnecessary. 

Three  of  our  name  obeyed  the  law,  the  first  of 
whom  is  entered  thus  :  "  Mr.^'  Robert  Dickson,  Ad- 
vocat,  descended  of  y^  familie  of  y^  Earle  Marischall, 
Bears,"  —  etc.  The  second  reads  :  "Mr.  Alexander 
Dicksone  of  Westerbinning,  descended  of  the  family 
of  Buhtrig  which  was  descended  of  the  Earle  Mar- 
shall, Bears," —  etc.,  and  the  third  is  as  follows  : 
"  Captain  Robert  Dickson  of  Sornbeg,  and  which 
surname  was  originally  Keith,  Bears," —  etc. 

Nisbet  in  his  Heraldry  (Edinburgh,  1722)  says  the 
Dicksons  are  descended  from  one  Richard  Keith, 
said  to  be  a  son  of  the  family  of  Keiths  Earls  Mar- 
shall of  Scotland,  and  in  proof  thereof  carry  in  their 
arms  the  chief  of  Keith  Marischal. 

This  Richard  was  commonly  called  Dick,  and  his 
sons  were  styled   after  him,  the  affix  of  son  in  the 


*  Mr.  was  his  title  as  Advocate. 


1 1 6  The  Clmi  Dickson. 

Lowlands  answering  to  the  prefix  of  Mac  in  the 
Highlands. 

It  is  probable  that  he  was  the  son  of  the  Great 
Marshal  Hervey  de  Keth,  who  died  in  1249,  by  his 
wife  Margaret,  daughter  of  William  third  Lord 
Douglas,  because  it  was  customary  in  Scotland  in 
those  days  before  the  introduction  of  quartering  for 
cadets  to  compose  their  Arms  by  adding  to  their 
paternal  bearing  a  part  or  the  whole  of  their  mother's 
Arms  to  show  their  maternal  descent,  and  to  differ- 
ence themselves  from  other  descendants  of  the  family, 
and  the  Arms  of  Keith  are  Argent  on  a  Chief  gules 
three  pallets  or  (but  Nisbet  says  in  several  paintings 
the  chief  is  paly  of  six  or  and  gules,  which  agrees 
with  their  traditionary  origin  that  at  a  battle  with  the 
Danes  a  chief  of  the  Keith's  slew  the  Danish  leader, 
which  being  perceived  by  King  Malcolm,  he  drew, 
with  the  blood  of  the  dead  man,  long  stripes  on  the 
conqueror's  shield  —  and  also  agrees  with  the  Chief 
of  Dickson  of  Buhtrig),  while  the  House  of  Douglas, 
before  the  death  of  the  Bruce  in  1329,  bore  simply 
Azure  three  mullets  argent.  The  heart  was  added 
by  William  first  Earl  of  Douglas,  and  appears  on  his 
seal  in  1343. 

Some  of  the  Dicksons  seem  to  have  preferred  the 
Douglas  mullets  alone,  for  Thomas  (H)  of  Hazel- 
side,  who  succeeded  his  father  in  1307,  bore  a  sword 
between  two  mullets,  and  others  bore  mullets  only. 

The  Dicksons  of  Buhtrig,  however,  bore  the  Chief 
of  Keith  with  the  Douglas  mullets  in  base,  a  perfect 


The  Clan  Dickson.  117 

specimen  of  composed  Arms.  The  early  records 
being  lost  it  is  impossible  to  say  when  they  first  bore 
that  coat,  although  it  may  have  been  adopted  as 
early  as  when  Thomas  (II)  of  Hazelside  chose  his 
armorial  bearings.  They  were  generally  assumed  in 
those  days.  The  granting  of  Arms  by  Herald's 
Colleges  is  of  later  date. 

The  first  Dickson  on  record,  moreover,  was  evi- 
dently a  person  of  very  good  standing,  such  as  a 
grandson  of  the  Earl  Marshall  might  be  expected  to 
be,  a  man  of  wealth  as  well  as  of  influence,  and  was 
also  a  clansman  of  the  Douglas.  Two  of  the  oldest 
Scottish  Historians  recount  his  deeds,  Archdeacon 
Barbour  who  wrote  in  1375,  and  Blind  Harry,  or 
Henry  the  Minstrel,  whose  metrical  history  was 
written  about  1381. 

There  are  some  who  speak  slightingly  of  the 
bard,  but  Major,  who  was  born  in  1405,  says  he 
was  living  about  that  time  and  that  he  recited  his 
compositions  in  the  presence  of  princes  or  men  of 
the  highest  rank  {cora7n  principibus),  and  Chalmers 
in  his  Caledonia,  says  "  Blind  Harrie,  whom  the 
Scotch  Historians  generally  follow  but  dare  not 
quote.  Blind  Harrie  is,  however,  supported  by  the 
Tower  Records." 

According  to  the  Minstrel,  when  Douglas  wished  to 
recover  his  castle  of  Sanquhar  in  1295,  he  applied  to 
Thom  Dycson  who  was  "born  to  himself,"  i.  e.,  rela- 
tion or  clansman  by  birth,  and  addresses  him  as  "  Dear 
Friend,"  and  relied  so  much  upon  him  that  he  after- 


1 1 8  The  Clan  Dickson. 

ward  selected  him  to  pass  through  the  enemy's  camp 
of  some  three  thousand  men  to  bear  a  message  to 
Wallace ;  while  Barbour  says  he  was  rich  in  move- 
ables and  cattle  and  had  many  friends,  besides  which 
his  house  could  not  have  been  a  small  one  as  it  con- 
tained a  private  chamber  where  he  not  only  concealed 
Douglas  but  also  brought  persons  to  see  him  without 
attracting  notice,  and  the  space  for  such  a  secret 
apartment  could  not  have  been  taken  out  of  a  small 
house  without  being  perceived. 

It  is  necessary  to  make  this  explanation  because 
Hume  of  Godscroft,  in  1648,  calls  him  a  "servant," 
by  which  he  evidently  meant  a  feudal  retainer,  and 
Scott  follows  Hume  without  explaining  the  modern 
meaning  of  the  word  as  he  should  have  done,  so  that 
probably  every  reader  of  Castle  Dangerous  considers 
Doughty  Dickson,  as  he  is  still  called,  to  have  been 
a  menial,  instead  of  which  he  was.  Laird  of  at  least 
two  Baronies  and  Governor  of  Douglas  Castle. 
McDowell,  in  his  History  of  Dumfriesshire,  absurdly 
styles  him  "a  soldier  of  humble  rank,"  instead  of 
which  he  was  a  "  tenant  in  capite,"  holding  direct 
from  the  Crown.     This 

Thomas  Dicson, 

Laird  of  Symonston  and  Hesleside,  county  Lanark, 
and  Castellan  of  Douglas,  son  of  Dick  de  Keth,  was 
born  A.  D.  1247,  and  if  grandson  of  the  aforesaid 
Hervey  de  Keth  was  then  also  second  cousin  to 
William  seventh   Lord  Douglas,  father  of  the  good 


The  Clan  Dickson.  1 1 9 

Sir  James  eighth   Lord,  to  both  of  whom  Dickson 
was  certainly  a  trusty  friend. 

After  the  capture  of  Berwick  in  1295,  Sir  William 
Douglas  wished  to  recover  his  castle  of  Sanquhar, 
then  held  by  the  English  who  had  laid  waste  all  the 
surrounding  country,  and  accordingly  as  the  Minstrel 
says,  went  to 

"  A  young  man  than  that  hardy  was  and  bauld  {bold), 
Born  till  him  selff  and  Thom  Dycson  was  cauld  ; 
Der  freynd  he  said  I  wald  preyff  {prove)  at  my  mycht. 
And  mak  a  fray  to  fals  Bewfurd  the  kn3^cht, 
In  Sanquhar  duellys  and  dois  full  fjret  owtrage 
Than  Dycson  said  my  self  in  that  wiage  {voyage), 
Sail  for  you  pass  with  Anderson  to  spek.'' 

Anderson  supplied  the  castle  daily  with  fuel  and 
Dickson  persuaded  him  to  lend  him  his  apparel  and 
cart.  At  night  Douglas  with  thirty  men  concealed 
himself  in  a  ravine  near  the  castle  and 

"To  the  Sanquhar  Dickson  alone  he  send, 
And  he  soon  made  with  Anderson  this  end  — 
Dickson  should  take  both  his  horse  and  his  weed  {dress). 
By  it  was  day  a  draught  of  wood  to  lead, 
Again  he  passed  and  told  the  good  Douglas 
Who  drew  him  soon  into  a  privy  place. 
Anderson  told  what  stuff  there  was  therein 
To  Thom  Dickson  that  was  near  of  kin  ; 
Forty  there  are  of  men  of  mickle  vail. 
Be  they  on  foot  they  will  you  sore  assail. 
If  you  happen  the  entry  for  to  get 
On  thy  right  hand  a  stalwart  ax  is  set, 
Therewith  you  may  defend  you  in  a  thrang, 
Be  Douglas  wise  he  hides  not  from  you  lang." 

It  was  just  daybreak,  Anderson  arranged  the  load 
and  gave  Dickson  his  clothes.     The  porter  opened 


I20  The  Clan  Dickson. 

the  castle  orates  and  when  the  cart  was  between  them, 
Dickson,  with  one  blow,  cut  loose  the  piece  of  har- 
ness by  which  the  horse  was  attached  so  that  the 
load  stuck  fast,  preventing  the  closing  of  the  gates. 
He  then  killed  the  porter  with  his  knife  and  seizing 
the  axe  that  Anderson  had  told  him  of  beckoned 
therewith  to  the  ambush  who  rushed  forward,  slew 
the  three  wardens  and  took  possession  before  the 
p-arrison  were  out  of  their  beds. 

The  English  soon,  however,  laid  seige  to  the  castle 
and  Douglas  led  Dickson  out  through  some  postern 
or  secret  passage  mounted  on  a  fleet  horse  to  warn 
Sir  William  Wallace. 

"  Thom  Dycson  than  was  met  with  good  Wallace 
Quhilk  grantyt  sone  to  reskew  Douglace 
Dicson  he  said  wait  {know)  thow  thair  multipli 
Three  thousand  men  thair  power  mycht  nocht  be  — "* 

The  English  having  notice  of  Wallace's  approach 
raised  the  siege  and  retreated,  but  were  overtaken 
and  lost  five  hundred  men. 

For  this  and  other  services  Dickson  received  the 
lands  of  Hisleside  or  Hazelside,  about  ten  miles 
west  of  Douglas,  where  there  is  still  a  house  bearing 
the  name.  There  is  scarcely  a  vestige  of  the  old 
mansion  remaining,  but  there  are  indications  that  it 
was  a  building  of  magnitude  and  strength. 

Dickson  must  have  done  good  service  to  his 
country  for  ten  years  later  King  Robert  Bruce,  about 


*Two  of  these  extracts  are  from  the  MS.  of  1488.     The  second 
is  from  the  edition  of  1758  which  is  much  modernized. 


The  Clan  Dickson.  121 

the  year  1306,  conveyed  to  Thomas  filius  Ricardi, 
the  barony  of  Symundstun,  now  Symington,  in  the 
county  of  Lanark,  and  he  was  also  created  Heredi- 
tary Castellan  or  Governor  of  Douglas  Castle.  As 
such  he  resided  in  his  own  house  except  in  case  of 
war,  when  he  left  his  house  in  charge  of  his  depend- 
ents and  himself  took  command  of  Castle  Douglas. 
Archdeacon  Barbour's  account  of  the  return  of  Sir 
James  to  Douglasdale  in  1307,  is  as  follows: 

"  Now  t:ikis  James  his  wiage 
Towart  Dowglas  his  heretage 

*  ***** 
And  than  a  man  wonnyt  tharby 

That  was  of  freyndis  weill  mychty 
And  ryche  of  moble  and  of  cateill 
And  had  been  to  his  fadyr  leyll 
And  till  himself  in  his  youthed 
lie  had  done  mony  a  thankful  deid 
Thom  dicson  wes  his  name  perfey." 

/.  e. 

"  Now  takes  James  his  voyage 
Towards  Douglas  his  heritage 

*  ***** 
And  then  a  man  dwelt  thereby 

That  was  of  friends  very  mighty 
And  rich  of  movables  and  cattle 
And  who  had  been  loyal  to  his  father 
And  to  himself  in  his  youth 
He  had  done  many  a  thankful  deed 
Thom  Dicson  was  his  name  by  my  faith. 
To  him  he  sends  and  prayed  him 
That  he  would  come  to  him  at  once 
To  speak  privately  to  him 
And  he  regardless  of  the  danger  went  to  him 
And  when  he  told  him  who  he  was 
16 


122  The   Clan  Dickson. 

He  wept  for  joy  and  for  pity 

And  took  him  directly  to  his  house 

Where,  in  a  chamber  privately 

He  kept  him  and  his  company 

That  no  one  perceived  it 

Of  meat  and  drink  and  other  things  tl\ey  had  plenty. 

He  wrought  with  so  much  subtilty 

That  all  the  loyal  men  of  the  country 

That  were  dwelling  there  in  his  father's  time 

This  good  man  made  come  one  by  one 

And  do  their  homage  every  one 

And  he  himself  first  homage  made." 

Douglas  then  by  Dickson's  aid  recaptured  his 
castle  of  Douglas  from  the  English,  but  according  to 
Hume  of  Godscroft's  History  of  the  Family  of 
Douglas  (Edinburgh,  1648),  being  oppressed  by  the 
multitude  of  his  enemies,  Dickson  was  himself  cut 
down  and  slain. 

Barbour's  account  is  as  follows : 

"  Here  Ja  of  dowglas  slays  them  in  the  church. 
The  folk  upon  the  Sunday 
Held  to  St.  Bride's  church  their  way 
And  they  that  in  the  castle  were 
Issued  out  both  less  and  more 
And  went  forth  their  palms  to  bear 
Except  a  cook  and  a  porter, 
lames  of  Douglas  of  their  coming 
And  what  they  were  had  notice 
And  sped  him  to  the  church  in  haste 
But  ere  he  came  to  it  hastily 
One  of  his  friends  cried  '  Douglas,  Douglas,' 
Thomas  Dicsone  the  nearest  was 
To  them  that  were  of  the  castle 
Who  were  all  within  the  chancel 
And  when  he  '  Douglas  '  so  heard  cry 
He  drew  out  his  sword  and  fiercely 
Rushed  among:  them  to  and  fro." 


The  Clan  Dickson.  123 

According  to  tradition,  although  cut  across  the 
middle  by  an  English  sword  he  still  continued  his 
opposition  until  he  fell  lifeless,  and  this  account,  says 
Sir  Walter  Scott,  is  supported  by  a  memorial  of 
some  authority  —  a  tombstone  still  to  be  seen  in  the 
churchyard  of  St.  Bride  of  Douglas,  on  which  is 
sculptured  a  figure  of  Dickson,  supporting  with  his 
hand  his  protruding  entrails,  and  raising  his  sword- 
with  the  other  in  the  attitude  of  combat. 

I  regret  to  say,  however,  that  Sir  Walter  was  here 
at  fault.  In  my  visits  to  Scotland  I  had  never  passed 
through  the  town  of  Douglas,  but  in  1887,  applied 
to  the  minister,  the  Rev.  W.  Smith,  intending  to 
have  the  monument  photographed.  To  my  surprise, 
however,  neither  he  nor  his  sexton  had  ever  heard  of 
it.  He  then  wrote  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Struthers  of  Pres- 
tonpans,  a  noted  local  antiquary,  who  remembered 
perfectly  the  churchyard  as  it  was  fifty-four  years 
ago,  and  knew  all  the  monuments,  but  said  although 
there  were  a  number  of  Dickson  tombstones  this  was 
not  among  them.  None  of  the  oldest  inhabitants, 
even  those  of  the  name,  knew  any  thing  of  it.  Mr. 
Smith  then  applied  to  the  former  grave  digger,  a 
very  old  man  whose  father  had  been  grave  digger 
before  him,  and  offered  him  from  me  a  reward  if  he 
would  point  it  out.  He  said  that  Dickson  was  killed 
at  the  church  door  and  buried  before  the  door,  but 
that  there  was  no  such  monument.  That  he  believed 
the  former  minister,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Stewart  was  mis- 
taken in  supposing  there  was  one,  and  that  he  had 


124  ^-^^^  Clan  Dickson. 

always  thought  Sir  Walter  was  misinformed  or  that 
he  jotted  down  notes  which  he  misunderstood.  That 
Sir  Walter  visited  the  church  but  took  down  his 
notes  in  the  hotel  at  Douglas  from  an  old  man 
named  H addon  while  the  latter  was  eating  the 
breakfast  Sir  Walter  had  given  him,  and  that  Sir 
Walter  was  very  ill  at  the  time  and  died  not  very 
long  after. 

His  state  of  health  was,  therefore,  probably  also 
the  cause  that  he  overlooked  the  term  "  Dear  Friend," 
by  which  Douglas  addressed  Dickson,  as  well  as  Bar- 
bour's statement,  and  called  the  lord  of  two  manors 
a  servant.  Tytler  also  calls  him  a  servant,  while  at 
the  same  time  he  says  that  Douglas  lay  concealed  in 
Dickson's  house  and  "  Here  night  after  night  did  his 
principal  vassals  assemble."  A  menial's  house  would 
hardly  have  been  large  enough  or  suitable  for  such  a 
purpose. 

Thomas  Dicson,  Laird  of  Symonston  and  Hazel- 
side,  Hereditary  Castellan  of  Douglas,  was  killed  on 
Palm  Sunday,  March  19,  1307,  aged  sixty,  and  was 
succeeded  by  his  eldest  son. 

Thomas  Dicson  (H),  whose  successors  the  eldest 
branch  at  least,  afterward  took  the  name  of  Symon- 
ston, and  with  them  therefore  we  have  no  more  to 
do,  except  only  to  add  that  in  1335-6,  Edward  HI, 
declared  forfeited  "  5  burgages,'^'  now  waste,  in  xvj  s. 
viij  d,  at  Sennewhare  {Sanquhar^  belonging  to 
Thome  son  of  Thome  Dikeson." 


*  Lands  held  by  a  peculiar  tenure. 


The  Clan  Dickson.  125 

The  other  sons  of  Dick  de  Keth  or  of  Thomas 
Dicson  (I),  or  of  both,  and  perhaps  also  the  younger 
sons  of  Symonston  retained  the  patronymic,  and 
from  them  the  clan  is  derived. 

The  Dicksons  were  formerly  one  of  the  principal 
Border  Clans  of  the  East  Marches,  and  according  to 
Dr.  Rogers  (Traits  and  Stories  of  the  Scottish  Peo-. 
pie,  London,  1867)  were  called 

The    Famous  Dicksons, 
and   their  daughters  appear  to  have  been   likewise 
eminent,    in    their   case   we   must   suppose   both    for 
beauty  and  accomplishments,  as  the  old  rhyme  says : 

"  Boughtrig  and  Belchester 
Hatchctknows  and  Darnchcster 
Leetholm  and  the  Peel ; 
If  ye  dinna  get  a  wife  in  anc  of  thae  places 
Ye'll  ne'er  do  weel." 

Buhtrig,  Belchester,  Leitholm  and  the  Peel  were 
Dickson  baronies.  Darnchester  belonged  at  one 
time  to  the  Trotters. 

From  Lanark  the  family  soon  removed  to  Peebles 
and  Berwick.  In  the  former  county  the  name  ap- 
pears as  early  as  1338,  and  in  Berwickshire  in  1380, 
when  Hugo  Dekounson  of  Lathamc  is  mentioned. 

The  Douglasses  acquired  lands  in  the  county  of 
Berwick  in  the  reign  of  Robert  I  (1306-29)  and  a 
Keith  was  governor  of  Berwick-on-Tweed  in  1333, 
which  may  account  for  the  Dicksons  settling  there. 

Chambers  in  his  History  of  Peeblesshire  says: 
"  These    Dikesons    or  Dyckisons  (now  modernized 


126  The  Clan  Dickson. 

into  Dickson),  seem  to  have  been  an  old  and  pretty 
numerous  family  in  the  district,  for  they  turn  up  on 
all  occasions  in  the  burgh  and  other  records." 

Ade  Dicson  was  Sheriff-Depute  of  Peeblesshire  in 
1338,  and  Ade  Dekysoun  was  bailie  or  alderman  of 
Peebles  in  1400. 

John  Diksone  was  bailie  in  1433,  Thomas  Dicke- 
soun  in  1444,  William  Dekysone  in  1464,  John  Dike- 
soun  in  1466  and  Robert  Diksone  in  1480.  John 
Dykkyson  rendered  the  accounts  of  the  bailies  of 
Peebles  in  1440. 

Patrick  Dikesone,  bailie  in  1482,  had  a  grant  under 
the  great  seal  of  ^8,  3s.  4d.  yearly  for  nineteen  years 
to  come  for  his  services  in  capturing  certain  rebels 
to  the  king.  Money  was  then  many  times  more 
valuable  than  it  is  now.  In  the  year  1300,  an  En- 
glish Admiral  of  the  Fleet  only  received  two  shillings 
per  day,  and  as  Hallam  says  an  income  of  £\o  or 
;/^20  was  reckoned  a  competent  estate  for  a  gentle- 
man, and  a  knight  who  possessed  ^150  per  annum 
passed  for  extremely  rich.  And  this  was  equal  in 
command  over  commodities  to  ^4000  at  present.  In 
1 39 1,  a  pension  of  twenty  pounds  a  year  was  consid- 
ered sufficient  in  Scotland  for  an  ambassador,  that 
sum  having  been  settled  for  life  upon  Robert  Grant, 
ancestor  of  the  Grants  of  Grant.  "  He  having  been 
employed  on  various  missions  abroad,"  and  about 
the  same  time  that  Bailie  Dickson  obtained  his  grant 
the  following  entry  appears  in  the  church  warden's 
accounts  of  St.  Margaret's,  Westminster,  A.  D.  1476  : 


The  Clan  Dickson,  127 

"  Paid  to  Roger  Fylpot,  learned  in  the  law,  for  his 
counsel  giving,  3jr.  ^d.  zvith  fourpence  for  his  dinner y 
What  would  a  modern  barrister  say  were  such  a  dole 
in  our  present  currency  offered  him  ? 

The  bailies  of  Peebles  were  chosen  from  among 
the  burgesses,  and  some  value  was  attached  even  to 
the  latter  dignity,  for  in  i486,  Allan  Ewart  furnished 
one  hundred  loads  of  stone  for  repairing  the  Tweed 
Bridge  in  requital  for  being  constituted  a  burgess  or 
freeman. 

The  position  was  not  only  an  honorary  one,  but  it 
conveyed  several  important  privileges. 

John  Dickeson  of  Winkston  was  Provost  of  Peebles 

in  1572,  Dikesoun  in   1606,  and  John  Dickie- 

sonne  in  1622.  Matthew  Dickson  was  Provost  of 
Dumfries  in  1582. 

Noblemen  often  held  this  office.  Amono-  the 
Provosts  of  Dumfries  were  Lord  Maxwell,  Sir  Roger 
Kirkpatrick  and  Lord  Drumlanrig,  and  among  the 
Provosts  of  Annan  was  the  Earl  of  Annandale  (af- 
terward Marquess)  who  was  succeeded  in  the  office 
by  his  son  Lord  Johnstone. 

Robert  Dyckison  of  Hutcheonfield,  county  Peebles, 
had  a  charter  from  King  Robert  III  (i 390-1 406)  and 
John  Dikeson  of  Smithfield  in  the  same  county,  who 
was  living  in  1457,  is  the  oldest  recorded  proprietor 
of  that  castle. 

Henry  Dikson  was  one  of  a  party  of  five  to  whom 
a  safe  conduct  was  granted  by  Henry  VI,  King  of 
England  in   1426,  to  "  George  of  Fallo,  William  of 


128  The  Clan  Dickson. 

Karylers,  Patrick  Kant,  James  Banbury  and  Henry 
Dikson,  Scotsmen,  with  six  attendants,  foot  or  horse, 
baggage,  'ferdills,'  etc.,  to  come  and  to  go  between 
England  and  other  places  at  pleasure." 

William  Dicson  was  in  1445,  a  companion  of  Sir 
James  Stewart,  Lord  of  Lorn,  called  the  Black 
Knisfht  of  Lorn,  who  married  lane  Queen  Dowag-er 
of  Scotland,  for  in  that  year  a  safe  conduct  was 
granted  by  Henry  VI,  to  "James  Stewert  lately 
husband  of  the  late  Queen  of  Scotland,  John  Stewert 
his  son  and  William  Dicson,  Scots  with  twenty  per- 
sons Scotchmen  in  their  company." 

This  William  Dicson  was  evidently  a  person  of 
consequence,  for  although  there  were  twenty  others 
he  is  the  only  one  mentioned  by  name  in  connection 
with,  if  not  even  as  the  eqiLal  of,  the  step-father  and 
step-brother  (Sir  John  Stewart,  afterward  Earl  of 
Athol)  of  the  reigning  King  James  the  Second. 

Patrick  Diksone,  Laird  of  Mersington,  parish  of 
Eccles,  county  Berwick,  was  living  at  his  bastel-house 
and  Will  Diksone  of  the  tower  at  his  tower  in  Eccles 
in  1479,  when  they  were  charged  with  treason  along 
with  the  Duke  of  Albany  and  others. 

In  1544,  the  English  army  destroyed  no  less  than 
eleven  or  twelve  places  belonging  to  the  clan,  all  of 
which  must  have  been  of  more  or  less  importance  to 
have  found  a  place  in  the  report  sent  to  the  King  of 
England. 

One  year  after  this  a  bond  was  subscribed  by  the 
Lords,    Barons   and    Gentlemen    of    the    March    of 


The  Clan  Dickson.  129 

Teviotdale,  obliging  themselves  to  furnish  one  thou- 
sand horsemen  to  serve  on  the  Border,  and  amoncr 
the  signers  was  John  Diksone  of  Belchester. 

In  1 591,  two  bonds  were  signed  by  the  principal 
Barons  and  Gentlemen  of  the  East  Marches  pledg- 
ing themselves  to  serve  the  King  against  Bothwell, 
and  of  the  forty-one  subscribers  whose  names  have 
been  preserved  four  were  Dicksons. 

Alexander  Dickson,  one  of  the  above  four,  who 
was  living  in  Edinburgh  in  the  last  decade  of  the 
sixteenth  century  appears  to  have  been  a  prominent 
personage  on  friendly  terms  with  Queen  Elizabeth's 
ambassador  in  Scotland,  and  with  the  French  am- 
bassador in  London,  and  to  have  been  himself  ap- 
pointed Scotch  ambassador  to  the   Low  Countries. 

In  Thorpe's  State  Papers  there  are  two  letters 
written  by  him  and  he  is  mentioned  in  five  others, 
and  as  some  of  the  extracts  are  curious  I  give  them  in 
full,  premising  that  Bowes  was  the  Queen's  ambassa- 
dor, Nicholson,  Secretary  to  the  English  Embassy, 
and  Sir  Robert  Cecil,  English  Secretary  of  State. 

"Edinburgh,  May  23,  1595.  Anonymous  to  [Mr. 
Bowes].  The  agents  of  the  Catholic  Lords  very 
busy  in  their  behalf.  An  evil  spirit  conjured  from  a 
young  maid  in  Galloway.  Angus  holding  on  in  the 
old  fashion.  An  arrival  from  Paris.  A  casket  of 
papers  sent  by  Mr.  Dickson." 

"Edinburgh,  July  9,  1595.     Anonymous  to  [Mr. 
Bowes].     Mr.  Dickson's  uncle  returned,  but  whether 
he  brought  any  thing  for  his  nephew  he  knows  not." 
17 


130  The  Clan  Dickson. 

"Edinburgh,  July  15,  1595.  George  Nicholson  to 
Mr.  Bowes.  Mr.  Dickson  will  undertake  the  office 
requested  of  him.  He  wishes  a  passport  to  go 
through  England.  Argyle  is  sick  and  thought  to  be 
bewitched.  McLane's  willingness  to  serve  against 
Tyrone.  Lord  Sanquhar  will  satisfy  the  Kirk.  Dis- 
ao^reement  between  the  King-  and  Queen." 

"Edinburgh,  Aug.  9,  1595.  Alexander  Dicksone 
to  Mr.  Bowes.  Thanks  him  for  his  loving  mind  and 
friendly  endeavors,  and  professes  a  desire  to  do  all 
good  offices  in  return  toward  him  and  his  sovereign. 
In  reply  to  his  request,  he  informs  him  that  after  he 
left  the  schools  his  genius  and  his  youth  inclined  him 
mickle  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Affairs  of  the  North, 
and  that  he  gave  himself  to  follow  my  Lord  of 
Leicester,  Sir  Philip  Sidney,  and  divers  others  the 
courtiers  of  the  time  ;  and  he  liked  mickle  for  the 
same  cause,  to  be  acquainted  with  strangers  and 
Ambassadors,  and  this  was  the  ground  of  his  resort 
to  De  L'Aubespine,  and  so  he  got  all  such  discourses 
as  he  could,  published  or  unpublished,  as  might 
advance  his  knowledge  of  the  times  he  lived  in. 
Describes  the  papers  and  books  he  possessed  and 
offers  to  write  to  Mons.  De  L'Aubespine  to  prove 
his  statement.  Assures  him  that  since  he  came  to 
Scotland  he  never  had  any  kind  of  commerce  or  in- 
telligence by  word  or  writing  with  any  manner  of  men 
in  England  or  any  other  of  her  Majesty's  territories." 

"Edinburgh,  Sep.  ,  1595.  Alexander  Dickson 
to  George  Nicolson.     Mr.  Bowes  to  be  informed  of 


The  Clan  Dickson.  131 

the  arrival  of  Macwhinnie  the  priest  who  has  come 
through  Enorland." 

In  1596,  a  passport  was  given  in  Edinburgh  by 
Mr.  Bowes  to  Robert  Dixon  to  go  to  London. 

I  continue  the  extracts  — 

''The  Hague,  Nov.  12-22,  1598.  Mr.  Andrew 
Hunter,  Minister  of  the  Evangel  to  the  Scots  Regi- 
ment in  Holland  to  Sir  Robert  Cecill.  The  person 
who  conveyed  the  letters  to  Scotland  is  expected 
again  this  summer ;  his  name  is  John  Young.  Ex- 
pediency of  looking  to  him  in  England.  Alexander 
Dixon  expected  from  Scotland  ;  his  covert  designs. 
Colonel  Murray  and  Captain  Hamilton's  efforts  to 
get  him  (Hunter)  removed." 

"Edinburgh,  Dec.  16,  1598.  George  Nicolson  to 
Sir  Robert  Cecill.  The  King  and  his  Household 
receive  the  Communion  ;  Angus  and  Errol  do  not ; 
doubts  about  them.  Meeting  of  the  Council.  The 
Kincr's  intercession  with  the  Presbyters  for  the  re- 
lease  of  Lord  Hume  from  excommunication.  An 
Embassy  to  go  to  France.  Mr.  Dixon  to  go  to  the 
Low  Countries.     A  foray  by  the  Grahams." 

This  Alexander  Dickson  must  have  been  a  man  of 
some  importance  when  we  find  that  a  person  deems 
it  material  to  write  to  the  English  Ambassador 
solely  to  inform  him  of  the  arrival  of  Dickson's  uncle. 
Then  Dickson  when  offering  to  return  Mr.  Bowes' 
kindnesses  writes  as  if  he  was  assured  that  the  Envoy 
knew  that  he  {Dickson)  had  the  power,  if  necessary, 
to  be  of  service  both  to  the  Ambassador  and  his 
Sovereign,  and  lastly,  although  the  French  Embassy 


132  The  Clan  Dickson. 

was  not  yet  composed,  it  was  settled  that   Dickson 
was  to  be  Ambassador  to  Holland. 

Sir  Walter  Scott  in  his  Border  Antiquities  says  that 
"  a  little  work  called  Monipenny's  Chronicle,  published 
1597  and  1 603,  gives,  among  other  particulars,  a  list  of 
the  principal  clans  and  surnames  on  the  borders,  not 
landed,  as  well  as  the  chief  riders  and  men  of  name 
among  them."  It  commences  "  Bromfields  (Chief, 
Bromfield  of  Gordon  Mains,  or  of  that  Ilk),  Trotters 
(Chief  unknown),  Diksons  (Chief  unknown)." 

There  were  more  than  two  editions  of  this  work, 
but  I  have  not  met  with  the  one  from  which  Sir 
Walter  made  the  extract.  As  before  stated,  how- 
ever, the  title  should  be  "  landed,  and  not  landed," 
for  the  Records  of  the  Privy  Council  are  alone  suffi- 
cient to  prove  that  some  of  the  Dicksons  were 
"  Landit  Men,"  and  as  regards  the  words  "  Chief 
unknown,"  it  would  seem,  on  the  contrary,  that  Buh- 
trig  was  the  chief  as  in  a  Bond  of  1573-4,  Buhtrig, 
Belchester  and  three  others  are  styled  the  principals 
and  representatives  for  the  surname  of  Dickson,  and 
in  four  other  Bonds  from  1563  to  1591,  where  they 
also  appear  as  a  body  Buhtrig  always  signs  first. 
That  of  August,  1591,  was  probably  signed  in  the 
order  as  they  arrived,  for  near  the  head  is  Alexander 
Diksoun,  without  local  designation,  and  lower  down 
Buhtrig  and  Belchester. 

Nisbet  in  his  Heraldry  (Edinburgh,  1722),  says: 
"  There  are  several  families  of  the  name  of  Dickson 
of  good  old  standing  in  the  shire  of  Berwick,"  and 


The  Clan  Dickson.  133 

names  Dickson  of  Buhtrig,  Dickson  of  Belchester, 
now  the  only  old  family  of  the  name  since  Buhtrig 
has  failed  {i.  e.,  become  extinct)  ;  Dickson  of  New- 
bigging  next  to  Belchester  ;  Dickson  of  Wester  Bin- 
ning and  Sir  Robert  Dickson  of  Sornbegg,  now 
designed  of  Inveresk,  but  the  author  here  contradicts 
himself,  and  probably  meant  to  say  several  families 
of  "good  standing,"  Belchester  being  then  the  only 
"  old  family.  He  did  not,  however,  seem  to  be  aware 
that  Sir  Robert  claimed  descent  from  the  house  of 
Buhtrig,  and  he  overlooked  the  families  of  Hartrie 
and  others. 

From  the  year  1558,  to  the  end  of  the  last  century 
fifteen  of  the  clan  were  members  of  Parliament,  as 
will  be  seen  in  the  sequel,  and  the  eldest  son  of  the 
last  laird  of  Belchester  has  represented  an  English 
constituency  for  several  years. 

Some  of  the  clan  left  Scotland  at  an  early  date 
and  became  tenants  of  Furness  Abbey,  county  Lan- 
caster, one  of  whom.  Sir  Nicholas  Dixon,  Rector  of 
Cheshunt,  Prebendary  of  Howdon  and  Baron  of  the 
Exchequer,  died  in  1448;  and  from  John  Dixon  of 
Furness  Falls  sprang  Richard  Dixon,  Lord  Bishop 
of  Cork,  A.  D.  1570,  and  also  Sir  Richard  Dixon 
who  married  the  widow  of  the  Lord  Chancellor  Eus- 
tace, and  whose  daughter  Eliza  (^ob.  1745)  married 
Sir  Kildare  Borrowes,  3d  Baronet,  who  assumed  the 
additional  name  of  Dixon,  and  was  ancestor  of  the 
present  Sir  Erasmus  Dixon-Borrowes,  Bart.  John 
Dixon  was  also  ancestor  of  the  Dixons  of  Beeston, 
county  York,  now  of  Seaton  Carew,  county  Durham. 


134  '^^^^  Clan  Dickson. 

It  is  of  course  impossible  now  to  form  any  idea 
of  the  number  of  the  clan  in  feudal  times,  but  in 
1556.  Buhtrig  and  Belchester  attacked  Douglas  of 
Kilspindy,  Provost  of  Edinburgh,  they  having  then 
two  hundred  and  eighty  men. 

These  may  have  been  a  part  only  or  perhaps  the 
whole  of  their  own  immediate  followers,  and  if  so 
when  those  of  the  other  chiefs,  viz.:  Hirdrig,  Has- 
singtonmaynes  and  Leitholm  were  united,  as  in  the 
case  of  a  war  with  England,  together  with  those  of 
the  lesser  branches  as  Newbigging,  Westerbinning, 
Newtown,  Kennetsydehead,  Kames,  Loanhead,  Peill, 
Overmains,  etc.,  in  Berwick,  Ormeston  and  others  in 
Peebles,  the  clan  must  have  been  able  to  muster  a 
considerable  number  of  fighting  men. 

There  is  no  county  history  of  Berwick.  In  Cham- 
bers' Peeblesshire  and  other  recent  works  where  our 
name  occurs  it  has  been  modernized,  but  where  I 
have  obtained  my  information  from  older  works  or 
records  I  have  always  given  it  as  it  appears.  When 
the  records  are  in  Latin  the  Christian  name  only,  as 
a  rule,  is  Latinized,  and  that  I  have  translated. 

The  parish  of  Eccles  in  Berwickshire  where  many 
of  the  clan  were  seated  was  anciently  divided  into 
four  quarters,  viz.:  (I)  Lochton,  Newtoun,  Temp- 
land,  Fairnyrigg  and  Birghem.  (II)  Mersingtoun, 
Overplewland,  Littlethank,  Herdrig  and  Burnhouses. 
(Ill)  Lawrig,  Buhtrig,  Belchester,  Newbigging,  An- 
ton's Hill,  Peill,  Stainerigg  and  Litem.  (IV)  Ken- 
netsydehead, Hassington,  Nethermaynes,Whythouse, 
Hardaikers,  Stainfeeld  and  Dedriges. 


CLAN  DICKSON  FAMILIES. 


Although  a  Dickson  of  Leitholm,  county  Berwick, 
appears  as  early  as  1380,  only  three  generations  re- 
moved from  Thomas  Dickson  (I),  still  the  houses  of 
Buhtrig  and  Belchester  seem  always  to  have  been 
recognized  as  the  Chief,  for  Leitholm  and  others 
acknowledge  their  superiority  in  1574,  and  Ormeston, 
the  oldest  of  the  Peeblesshire  lairds,  does  the  same  in 
1 59 1,  but  the  Marchmen  often  had  their  houses  burnt 
and  their  writs  destroyed,  so  that  it  is  frequently  im- 
possible to  trace  their  origin,  especially  as  many  of 
these  old  warriors  disdained  holding  their  lands  by 
what  they  contemptuously  called  the  "  sheepskin  "  or 
•*  parchment "  title,  preferring  to  hold  them  by  the 
sword. 

A  Hugh  Dickson  Esquire  {scutifer)  seems  to  have 
been  connected  with  the  shire  of  Berwick  in  1431,  if 
not  earlier,  for  an  inquest  was  held,  dated  Berwick, 
Sep.  2,  1408,  regarding  the  right  of  Lady  Margaret, 
relict  of  Sir  John  of  Swynton,  Knight,  to  her  terce 
of  his  lands,  and  a  transcript  of  the  same  was  made 
at  Perth,  April  29,  1431,  at  the  instance  of  '' providi 
viri  Hugh  Dicson  scutifert,"  but  to  what  house  he 


136  Clan  Dickson  Families. 

belonged  does  not  appear.  He  was  probably,  how- 
ever, a  relation  or  friend  of  her  ladyship. 

This  roll  therefore  commences  with  Buhtrig  and 
Belchester,  after  which  the  families  are  ranked  ac- 
cording to  the  oldest  dates  they  are  found  in  manu- 
script or  printed  records. 

The  first  named,  however,  only  appears  as  slain  at 
Flodden  in  15 13,  and  the  second  as  receiving  a  Royal 
Charter  in  1539,  but  in  1591  a  Belchester  served  heir 
to  his  great-grandfather  (^proavi^  John  Diksone  of 
Belchester,  who  must  have  been  living  before  1539. 

Buhtrig. 

Robert  Diksone  in  Bouchtrig,  county  Berwick, 
was  one  of  the  gentlemen  who  fell  on  the  fatal  field 
of  Flodden  in  1513."^  He  married  Isobel  Murray, 
and  had,  with  other  issue,  a  son  John  who  succeeded 
him. 

In  1552  Robert  Diksoun  in  Bouchtrig  and  others 
appeared  before  the  Lords  of  the  Privy  Council  and 
signed  an  obligation  to  pay  a  sum  of  money  to 
Richard  Maitland.  This  was  made  by  Robert  Dixson 
in  the  peill  of  Lethame,  who  probably  headed  the 
list  as  the  principal  debtor,  Robert  Diksoun  in  Bouch- 
trig, Robert  Diksone  in  the  eist  end  of  Lethame  and 
four  others  named  Furde,  Sanderson  and  two  Red- 
piths,  and  is  signed  "  with  our  handis  at  the  pen  led 
be  the  notar  underwritten  for  vs  becaus  we  culd 
nocht  writt."     The  notary  signed  for  all  the  seven. 

*  Acta  Dominorum  Concilii.     Vol.  xxxiv,   fol.   136.     i  Mar.,  1523, 
Not  published. 


Clan  Dickson  Families.  137 

In  1557  Robert  Diksoiin  of  Bouchrig-  and  John 
Diksoun  of  Belchester,  as  already  shown,  were 
charged  with  having,  with  a  party  of  fourteen  score 
(280  persons),  pursued  and  slain  Archibald  Douglas 
of  Kilspindy,  Provost  of  Edinburgh,  on  August  8, 
1556,  and  gave  Alexander  Lord  Hume  as  surety  that 
they  would  appear  at  the  next  Aire  or  Itinerant 
Court  of  Justice  (Circuit  Court)  of  Berwick. 

Dicksoun  of  Buhtrig  (no  forename),  Cuthbert 
Trotter  in  ,  Hob  Diksoun,  Patrick  Hume 

younger  of  Polwarth,  Sir  Robert  Bell  and  others 
were  accused  Sep.  4,  1563,  by  Robert  Hume  of  the 
Heuch,  of  having  taken  possession  of  his  corn  and 
goods,  which  it  seems  were  claimed  by  Polwarth. 

This  and  the  preceding  of  A.  D.  1557,  in  both  of 
which  legal  documents  he  is  called  "  of,"  proves  that 
he  held  the  lands  then,  but  he  appears  to  have  forti- 
fied himself  with  a  so-called  ''  parchment "  title  soon 
after,  for  Robert  Diksoun  in  Bouchtrig  and  Elizabeth 
McDowell,  his  wife,  had  a  charter  from  the  King  and 
Queen  of  lands  of  Bouchtrig  and  lands  in  Lethame, 
Dec.  27,  1565,  and  six  months  after  (8th  July,  1566), 
the  same  were  confirmed  to  Robert  Diksoun,  eldest 
son  and  heir  of  Robert  Diksoun  in  Bouchrig. 

The  word  "  in  "  appears  to  be  an  error,  for  even  if 
the  Crown  would  not  acknowledge  his  previous  owner- 
ship the  charter  made  him  a  landholder,  and  therefore 
"of,"  similar  to  the  German  "von." 

Robert  Dicksoun  of  Buchtrig,   Robert  Dicksoun, 
son  of  the  Gudeman  of  Belchester,  and  Robert  Dick- 
18 


138  Clan  Dickson  Families. 

soun  of  Hassington  Manys,  together  with  some  fifty 
others  (not  Dicksons),  signed  a  Band  at  Jedburgh 
Feb.  12,  1 571,  pledging  themselves  to  rise  against 
the  King's  enemies,  etc.,  and  to  apprehend  any  rebels 
or  thieves  found  within  their  borders. 

Robert  Dicksoun  of  Buchrig,  John  Dicksoun  of 
Belchester,  Alexander  Dicksoun  of  Hirdrig  and 
Robert  Dicksoun  in  Eistand  of  Lethem,  signed  a 
Bond  Jan.  19,  1573-74,  obliging  themselves  as  prin- 
cipals and  representatives  for  the  surname  of  Dick- 
soun that  they  shall  behave  themselves  as  dutiful 
and  obedient  subjects  of  the  King  and  Warden,  and 
that  they  shall  keep  good  rule  under  the  penalty  of 
five  thousand  pounds. 

In  the  Roll  of  1590,  as  before  stated,  Buhtrig  ap- 
pears first  among  the  landed  men  of  his  clan,  as  well 
as  in  Monipenny's  List  of  1597. 

Alexander  Dicksoun  (by  himself)  and  afterward 
Robert  Dicksoun  of  Buchtrig,  Andro  Dicksoun  of 
Belchester,  and  other  border  lairds,  signed  one  of 
the  bonds  of  August  6,  1591,  pledging  themselves  to 
serve  the  King  against  Bothwell. 

Robert  Dicksoun  of  Buchtrig,  Andro  Dicksoun  of 
Belchester,  Robert  Dicksoun  of  Ormestoun,  Robert 
Dicksoun  of  Hassinden  Manis  and  Alexander  Dick- 
soun of  Hirdrig  signed  a  Caution  agreeing  to  relieve 
the  Lords  Wardens  of  the  Marches,  Oct.  8,  1591. 

In  1604,  Walter  Davidson  was  convicted  and 
ordered  to  be  hung  for  stealing  horses,  oxen,  sheep, 
etc.,  from   the   lands   of  Pittilisheuch,   belonging  to 


Clan  Dickson  Families.  139 

Dicksoun  of  Buchtrig  and  Sir  John  Cokburne,  knyt. 
justice  clerk.  Although  the  stock  belonged  to  them 
the  land  apparently  then  belonged  to  a  Dickson 
alone,  as  a  Robert  Dickson  of  Pittilisheuch  was  taxed 
^8  in  1607. 

In  1646,  Robert  Dicksoun  of  Buchtrig  was  a  Com- 
missioner of  War.  He  married  Agnes,  daughter  of 
Andrew  Edmonston  of  that  ilk,  and  died  in  1647. 
His  son,  Robert  Dicksone  de  Bughtrige  served  heir 
to  his  father  in  1647.  He  was  one  of  the  Commis- 
sioners of  War  for  Berwick,  and  was  appointed  Colo- 
nel of  Horse  and  Foot  in  1648.  He  was  also  an 
Advocate  or  Barrister,  and  as  such  was  entitled  Mae- 
ister  or  Maister,  and  he  was  appointed  Justice  of  the 
Peace  in  1663.  His  arms  were  recorded  in  the  Lyon 
Register  as  follows  :  "  Mr.  Robert  Dickson  Advo- 
cat  descended  of  y^  familie  of  y^  Earle  Marischall 
Bears  azure  three  mollets  argent  on  a  chief  or  alse 
many  pallets  gules  On  ane  helmet  befitting  his  de- 
gree with  a  mantle  gules  doubled  argent  And  torse 
of  his  collours  is  set  for  his  crest  a  dexter  hand  grasp- 
ing a  sword  in  bend  proper  The  Motto  in  ane 
Escroll,  Fortes  fortuna  juvat." 

Magister  George  Dicksone  served  heir  to  his 
brother  in  the  lands  of  Buchtrigg,  Lochrigs  and 
Halfland,  or  Brewlands  in  Leitham  in  1674.  He 
was  chosen  Member  of  Parliament  for  New  Galloway 
in  1678,  but  was  said  not  to  be  qualified  as  he  was 
not  a  residenter  nor  traffiquer  in  the  burgh,  but  as 
he   showed    that    he    had    succeeded  as  heir  to  his 


140  Clan  Dickson  Families. 

brother  Robert  to  some  houses  in  the  town,  he  was 
approved  of.  In  1686,  he  was  appointed  Commis- 
sioner of  Supply  {i.  e.,  for  providing  money  for  the 
King).  The  Commissioners  for  this  year  were  the 
Duke  of  Gordoun,  the  Marquess  of  Douglas,  the 
Earle  of  Lauderdale,  the  Lord  Ross,  Sir  William 
Scot  of  Harden  elder,  Sir  William  Scot  younger 
thereof,  the  Laird  of  Wedderburn,  Sir  Alexander 
Home  of  Rhentoun,  John  Home  of  Manderstoun, 
Mr.  George  Dickson  of  Buchtrig,  Alexander  Home 
of  Linthill,  Anthony  Haige  of  Beamersyde,  John 
Home  of  Nynwells,  John  Home  of  Haliburton, 
John  Home  of  Broomhouse,  James  Dickson  of  Bel- 
chester,  Robert  Dickson  of  Overmaynes,  John  Dick- 
son of  Newbigging,  and  ten  others ;  twenty-eight  in 
all,  of  whom  four  were  DIcksons. 

George  Dickson  of  Buchtrig  was  witness  to  the 
marriage  contract  of  James  Dickson  of  Belchester, 
in.  1689. 

George  Dickson  of  Buhtrig  petitioned  in  1698,  to 
be  allowed  to  qualify  as  an  Advocate,  and  although 
he  had  been  suspected  as  being  unfavorable  to  the 
government  his  petition  was  approved.  It  is  not 
improbable  that  there  were  two  of  the  name  of 
George  in  succession,  but  this  one  appears  to  have 
been  the  last  of  the  family, 

Buhtrig  is  still  held  by  a  clansman,  having  been 
purchased  by  the  father  of  the  present  Colonel 
Archibald  Dickson,  R.  A.,  of  Chatto,  Buhtrig  and 
Housebyres.     It  is  a  lonely  place  in  the   midst   of 


Clari  Dickson  Families.  141 

the  hills.  The  old  bastel  house  was  demolished  by 
the  English  in  1544,  when  the  parish  of  Eccles  was 
thoroughly  wrecked,  and  although  in  the  English 
reports  it  is  sometimes  said  of  a  demolished  tower 
that  it  had  been  destroyed  in  a  previous  raid  and 
rebuilt,  they  had  probably  by  this  time  learnt  the 
power  of  gunpowder  and  ceased  to  rebuild  such 
fortalices,  trusting  more,  according  to  their  ancient 
customs,  to  the  security  of  the  forests  and  mountains, 
agreeably  to  their  old  proverb  that  it  was  better  to 
hear  the  chirp  of  the  bird  than  the  cheep  of  the 
mouse. 

There  are  no  ruins  of  stone  and  lime  at  Buhtrig, 
but  a  little  to  the  south  of  the  present  farm-house 
the  various  mounds  covered  with  grass  clearly  point 
out  where  at  one  time  has  been  a  buildine  of  consid- 
erable  size,  and  this  is  borne  out  by  the  fact  that 
various  roads  converge  there.  When  the  place  was 
visited  in  1887,  ^  very  old  woman  pointing  to  the 
spot  said  that  it  was  the  "  Laird's  House." 

Between  the  farm-house  and  Greenhill  there  was 
formerly  a  hamlet  or  village,  the  foundations  of  which 
can  be  clearly  traced,  where  the  dependents  of  the 
laird  probably  dwelt,  and  that  they  were  then  num- 
erous is  evident  from  the  many  old  places  round  the 
sides  of  the  hills  where  they  cultivated  a  patch  of 
land,  and  from  the  walls  which  can  still  be  traced 
which  separated  the  cultivated  part  from  the  hill-tops 
where  they  grazed  the  black  cattle.  So  long  as  cat- 
tle and  horses  were  the  principal  stocking  a  number 


142  Clan  Dickson  Families. 

of  cottars  were  absolutely  necessary  to  raise  a  suffi- 
cient quantity  of  winter  produce  for  them. 

In  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  "  Laird's 
House"  is  a  place  called  the  Moat,  which  is  perhaps 
one  of  the  best  preserved  British  strongholds  in 
existence.  At  the  foot  of  the  Moat  have  been  build- 
ings of  stone  and  lime  which  were  of  course  erected 
long  after  the  builders  of  the  Moat  had  been  for- 
"■otten.  The  materials  of  these  buildincrs  and  of  the 
old  bastel  house  were  probably  utilized  for  the  build- 
ing of  the  present  farm-house  and  the  numerous 
walls,  as  the  old  castles  generally  served  for  quarries 
for  the  country  round. 

Belciiester. 

John  Diksoun  de  Belchester,  county  Berwick,  and 
Isobelle  Hoppringle  his  wife,  had  a  charter  confirmed 
by  the  King,  Dec.  i,  1539.  In  1591,  however,  a 
John  Diksone  served  heir  to  John  Diksone  de  Bel- 
chester, his  great-grandfather  (^proavi^,  who  may 
have  been  the  father  of  the  first-named  John. 

Johne  Dikson  of  Belchest  was  one  of  the  lords, 
barons  and  gentlemen  of  the  Merk  (March)  of 
Teviotdale  who,  on  the  4th  Oct.,  1545,  subscribed  a 
Band  obliging  themselves  to  furnish  one  thousand 
horsemen  for  the  space  of  three  months  to  remain 
upon  the  Borders  "to  resist  and  Invaid  our  auld 
enemys  of  Ingland." 

Belchester  also  signed,  next  after  Buhtrig,  the 
Bands  of   1571,  1574  (as  one  of  the  principals)  and 


Clan  Dickson  Families.  143 

1 59 1,  was  on  the  Roll  of  Clans  in  1590  as  a  Landlord, 
and  signed  the  Caution  to  relieve  the  Wardens  in 

1591- 
John  Diksoun  was  declared  heir  to  his  father,  John 

Diksoun  of  Belchester,  in  1632.  James  Dicksonc  of 
Belchester  was  Colonel  of  Horse  and  Foot  and  Com- 
missioner of  War  for  Berwick  in  1648,  and  James 
Dickson  was  Commissioner  of  Supply  in  1686,  to- 
gether amone  others  with  Hais:  of  Bemerside,  of 
whose  family  Thomas  the  Rhymer  said  six  centuries 
ago: 

*'  Tide,  tide,  what'er  betide 
There'll  aye  be  Haigs  in  Beamersyde.'' 

Three  years  later  he  married  Hannah,  daughter 
of  Bemerside,  and  among  the  witnesses  to  the  mar- 
riage contract  were  George  Dickson  of  Buhtrig,  advo- 
cate, and  William  Dickson,  younger  of  Newbigging. 

James  Dickson  of  Belchester  was  out  in  the  Rising 
of  1 71 5,  and  fied  to  America  —  but  he  lived  to  return 
home. 

The  last  Dickson  of  Belchester  married  Jane, 
daughter  of  General  Sir  Martin  Hunter,  G.  C.  M. 
G.,  G.  C.  H.,  of  Medomsley,  county  Durham,  and 
Anton's  Hill,  county  Berwick.  He  sold  the  prop- 
erty about  thirty  years  since  and  died  leaving  a  son  : 

Major  Alexander  G.  Dickson,  M.  P.,  late  i6th 
Hussars,  born  1834,  married  1861,  Charlotte  Maria, 
daughter  of  the  Rev.,  the  Hon.  William  Eden  and 
widow  of  Lord  North.  Major  Dickson  has  sat  in 
Parliament  for  Dover  since  1865. 


144  Clan  Dickson  Fa)} lilies. 

Seat  —  Glenham  Hall,  Wickham  Market,  county 
Suffolk. 

Leitholm. 

Hugo  Dekonsoun  was  paid  ^13.6  for  the  King's 
expenses  while  he  was  at  Lathame,  county  Berwick 
in  1380.  As  already  stated  this  is  the  first  mention 
of  the  name  in  the  county. 

John  Dyksone  in  Lathame  was  appointed  Tutor  {i. 
e.,  Trustee  or  Guardian)  of  Herdrig,  which  belonged 
to  the  late  George  Dyksone  of  Herdrig  in  1517. 

There  appear  then  to  have  been  two  or  more  of 
the  title  for  Robert  Dixson  in  the  peill  of  Lethame 
and  Robert  Diksone  in  the  eist  end  of  Lethame 
appeared  before  the  Lords  of  the  Council  in  1552, 
and  signed  an  Obligation  together  with  Buhtrig,  q.  v. 

Eumond  Dikson  in  Leitholme,  called  Eumond  of 
the  Grene,  with  others,  were  at  the  horn ""'  for  the 
slaughter  of  Walter  Fairley  in  Kelso  in  1572. 

Robert  Dicksone  in  Eistand  of  Lethem  was  one  of 
the  principals  of  the  Clan  in  1574,  and  he  or  his  suc- 
cessor appears  among  the  Landed  Men  on  the  Clan 
Roll  of  1590. 

Alexander  Dikson  in  Leithame  gave  an  Obliga- 
tion to  Home  of  Stanerig  in  1623,  Robert  Dickson, 
younger  of  Buchtrig  being  Cautioner  and  his  brother 
James  one  of  the  witnesses. 

The  remains  of  Leitholm  peel,  razed  in  1544,  con- 
sisting of  a  fragment  of  the  wall  thirty-one  feet  long, 

*  Proclaimed  outlaws  or  denounced  as  rebels  for  not  appearing  at 
Court  when  summoned. 


Clmi  Dickson  Families.  145 

about  fifteen  high  and  four  feet   thick,   are   still   in 

existence. 

Ormeston. 

Robert  Dyckison  had  a  Charter  of  Hethonfields 
or  Hutcheonfield,  county  Peebles,  granted  him  by 
King  Robert  III  (i 390-1 406).  During  the  Regency 
of  the  Duke  of  Albany  (1406-19)  Malcom  Fleming 
of  Biggar  gave  to  him  a  wadset  of  the  lands  of 
Oliver  Castle,  and  in  1407,  the  estate  of  Ormistoun 
or  Wormiston,  county  Peebles,  with  its  peel,  was  con- 
veyed to  him.  Ruecastle  or  Rowcastle,  county  Rox- 
burgh, with  its  two  strong  towers  also  belonged  to 
the  family,  but  it  was  resigned  by  Thomas  Dickinson 
of  Ormestoun  into  the  hands  of  King  James  IV 
(1488-15 13).  In  1491,  Thomas  Dikesoun  de  Or- 
mestoun had  the  lands  of  Rauchen,  Glenhigden  and 
Glenchoen  conveyed  to  him. 

Thomas  Dicsoun  son  and  heir  apparent  of  Thomas 
Dicsoun  of  Ormestoun,  witnessed  a  deed  in  1504. 
William  Dickison  held  the  estate  in  15 16,  and  John 
Dikesone  de  Ormestoun  had  a  deed  confirmed  by 
the  King  in  1534. 

In  1542,  Dickson  of  Ormeston  seems  to  have  been 
called  "  of  that  Ilk,"  at  least  in  his  own  county,  for 
the  Arms  in  Sir  David  Lindsay's  manuscript  are 
attributed  to  him. 

Dikkesoun  of  Ormestoun  was  on  the  Roll  of  Clans 

in    1590  as   a  landed    man.     Robert   Dickesoun   of 

Ormestoun   was  the   third   in   order  who  signed  the 

Caution  to  relieve  the  Wardens  in  1 59 1  {vide  Buhtrig). 

19 


146  Clan  Dickso7i  Families. 

John  Dickesoun  of  Ormestoun  was  one  of  the  sub- 
scribers to  a  general  band  against  thieves,  murderers 
and  oppressors  in  1602,  and  in  1628  Robert  Dickson 
of  Ormestoun  was  one  of  the  mourners  at  the  funeral 
of  Lady  Isobel  Kerr,  wife  to  William  Douglas,  Vis- 
count of  Drumlendrich. 

The  vault  of  the  tower  of  Hutcheonfield  is  still  in 
existence,  as  well  as  the  ruins  of  the  tower  of  Ormes- 
ton,  which  last  was  destroyed  by  the  English  army 
in  1544. 

There  was  another  Ormeston  belonging  to  the 
Cockburns,  which  house  was  demolished  in  1547. 

Mersington. 

Thomas  Dyksoun  of  Marsyntoun,  county  Berwick, 
A.  D.  1455,  was  one  of  the  witnesses  to  an  acknowl- 
edgment by  the  Vicar  of  Swynton,  of  a  gift  of  land 
byjohnof  Swynton,  datedat  Swynton  i6thjuly,  1455, 
"  in  the  presence  of  honourable  men,  that  is  to  say 
Alexander  of  Cokburn  of  Langton,  Adam  of  Nesbit 
of  that  ilke,  Robert  of  Blakater  of  that  ilke,  Thomas 
Dyksoun  of  Marsyntoun  and  Jhon  Dyksoun  his 
brother." 

The  same  year  he  rebuilt  the  mills  of  Mersyn- 
toune  and  Lettame.  In  early  Scotch  charters  ten- 
ants are  often  obliged  to  use  the  mills  of  their  land- 
lords according  to  an  old  practice  called  thirlage,  and 
pay  multure  accordingly.  It  was  the  same  in  Eng- 
land, At  Castle  Combe,  county  Somerset,  as  late 
as  1556,  no   tenants  of  the  manor  were  to  keep  in 


Clan  Dickson  Families.  147 

their  houses  any  mill  called  "quyrnez"  (querns), 
because  they  ought  to  grind  at  the  lord's  mill,  under 
a  forfeit  of  xx  s. 

Thomas  Dicsoun  of  Mersintoune  was  on  an  inquest 
at  Berwick-on-Tweed,  4th  March,  1464,  in.  a  case 
concerning  the  lands  of  Cranschaws  in  the  earldom 
of  March,  and  Patrick  Dicksone  in  Mersyntoun  (per- 
haps a  son  of  the  laird)  was  summoned  by  King 
James  III  to  attend  an  inquest  concerning  the  same 
lands  1 6th  March,  1476-7. 

Patrick  Diksone,  the  laird,  was  living  at  his  bastel 
house  in  Mersington  in  1479,  when  the  Macer  or 
officer  of  the  court  declared  he  had  summoned  "  Pait 
diksone  ye  lard  at  his  hous  in  mersingtoun  david 
Jakson  t  Will  dikson  of  ye  tour  at  ye  tour  in  eklis." 
They  were  charged  with  high  treason  in  company 
with  the  Duke  of  Albany  and  others. 

Thomas  Dyksone  in  Mersintoun  was  on  an  inquest 
concerning  the  estates  of  Swynton  at  Dunse  6th  Oct., 
1500. 

The  bastel  house  was  destroyed  by  the  English  in 

1544- 

Smithfield. 

John  Dikeson  of  Smithfield,  county  Peebles,  was 
witness  to  a  charter  of  Thomas  Inglis  of  Manner, 
county  Peebles,  in  1457.  He  is  the  oldest  recorded 
proprietor  of  the  castle  of  Smithfield,  which  was  de- 
stroyed about  a  century  ago.  John  dikesone  of 
Smethfeld,  who  signed  an  obligation  in  1488,  was 
owner  of  the  lands  of  Melwelisland.     William  dikke- 


148  Cla7t  Dickson  Families. 

sone  was  in  1494,  son  and  heir  of  John  in  the  lands 
of  Smithfeild  and  in  a  quarter  of  the  lands  of  Edrigs- 
toune,  John  Dykison  released  the  lands  of  Smeith- 
feild  to  his  brother,  Thomas  Dikison,  in  1500. 

From  the  Dicksons  the  estate  passed  to  the  Hays, 
by  the  marriage  of  the  daughter  and  sole  heiress  of 
John  Dicksone  to  John,  fourth  Lord  Hay  of  Yester, 
who  died  1557. 

Byrtonane. 

John  Dyksone  of  Byrtonane,  county  Berwick, 
was  living  in  1484,  when  Sir  John  Swinton  of  that 
ilk  grants  precept  to  his  beloved  friend  {dilecto)  John 
Dyksone  of  Byrtonane  to  act  for  him. 

BiRGHEM. 

Patrick  Dikson  owned  five  husbandlands  in 
Byrgheame,  county  Berwick,  in  i486.  A  husband- 
land  in  the  Merse  was  anciently  estimated  at  twenty- 
six  acres  of  land  fit  for  the  plough  and  scythe. 

Mailingsland. 
John  Dikeson  of  Smeithfeild  was  owner  of  Mel- 
welisland,  county  Peebles,  in  1488.  In  1494,  it 
passed  to  his  younger  son  Robert.  It  seems  then  to 
have  been  acquired  by  the  Gladstones,  one  of  whom, 
John  Gledstane  of  Coklaw,  disposed  of  it  to  John 
Dikeson  of  Winxton.  Richard  Dikson  of  Mailweins- 
land  and  his  wife  Janet,  daughter  and  co-heiress  of 
Martin  Wylie  of  Baumertoun,  and  Adam  Dikson, 
their  son,  were  living  in   1567,  when   Marion  Wylie 


Clan  Dickson  Families.  149 

conveyed  lands  to  them.  In  1580,  Adam  Dikson 
had  a  gift  of  the  ward  and  nonentry''^'  of  these  lands 
which  were  in  the  King's  hands  since  the  death  of 
John  Dikson  of  Mailingsland. 

WiNKSTON. 

The  Dicksons  are  said  to  have  been  in  possession 
of  Winkston,  county  Peebles,  in  1489.  In  the  Reg- 
ister of  the  Privy  Seal  is  a  precept  for  the  confirma- 
tion of  a  charter  granted  by  James  Hamilton,  son 
and  heir  of  the  deceased  Margaret  Mowat  of  Hane- 
hous,  to  William  Dikeson,  burgess  of  Perth,  of  the 
lands  of  Winkeston,  holding  of  the  King  28th  Oct., 
1536.  John  Dikeson,  son  and  heir  apparent  to  Wil- 
liam Dikeson,  leased  lands  in  Peebles  in  1555. 

John  Diksoun  de  Wingestoun  was  Member  of 
Parliament  for  Peebles  in  1568,  and  another  of  the 
family  was  Member  of  Parliament  in  161 2. 

John  Dickeson  of  Winkstoun  and  Aleson  Udward 
his  spouse  had  a  gift  of  the  nonentry  of  the  lands  of 
Cruikstoun  in  1570. 

John  Dickeson  of  Winkstoun  was  Provost  of 
Peebles,  and  was  assassinated  in  1572. 

William  Dickson,  uncle  of  James  Dickson  of 
Winkestoun  had  a  precept  of  the  lands  with  tower, 
fortalice,  etc.,  in  1581,  on  resignation  of  the  said 
James. 

A  scion  of  this  house  went  to  Ireland  and  on  the 
4th     March,     1646,    Roberts,    Ulster  Herald,   regis- 

*  The  heir  of  the  former  possessor  having  failed  to  renew  inves- 
titure with  the  superior. 


150  Clan  Dickson  Families. 

tered  to  "John  Dixon,  Sergeant  Major  in  Colonel 
Arthur  Fox's  Regiment  of  foot,  descended  from  a 
very  ancient  and  noble  family  of  Dixon  in  the 
Marches  of  Scotland,"  the  following  Arms — First 
and  fourth,  an  a  war-wolf*  passant  ppr.  on  a  chief 
az,  three  mullets  of  the  first.  Second  and  third,  a 
bull's  head  couped  sa.  langued  gu.  armed  or.  On  a 
chief  of  the  third  an  armory  sword  ppr.  Crest  —  A 
pelican  in  her  nest  feeding  her  young.  The  quarter- 
ings  show  that  one  of  the  family  married  an  heiress 
of  the  Turnbulls. 

Part  of  the  old  fortalice  now  turned  into  a  farm- 
house is  still  in  existence.  They  had  also  a  mansion 
in  Edinburgh,  in  the  Cowgate  above  the  foot  of  Lib- 
berton's  Wynd,  where  their  Arms  were  to  be  seen 
in  Nisbet's  time  (1724),  cut  in  stone  above  the  door. 

HiRDRIG. 

Patrick  Dyksone  of  Heirdrig,  county  Berwick, 
was  with  Dyksoun  of  Mersington  on  an  Inquest 
concerning  the  estate  of  John  Swynton  of  that  Ilk  in 
1500.  George  Dyksone  of  Herdrig  died  circa  151 7, 
when  John  Dyksone  of  Leitholm  was  appointed 
Tutor  of  Herdrig. 

Alexander  Dicksoun  of  Herdrig  subscribed  the 
Band  of  1573-74,  as  one  of  the  principals  for  the 
surname  of  Dickson  {y.  Buhtrig).  Alexander  Dick- 
sone  of  Hirdrig  was  on  an  Inquest  for  Robert 
Swynton  in  1585-6. 


*  Werewolf,  i.  e.,  manwolf  or  wolf  with  a  man's  head. 


Clan  Dickson  Families.  151 

Hirdrig  was  on  the  Roll  of  Clans  as  a  Landlord 
in  1590.  Alexander  Diksone  of  Heirdrig  and  others 
signed  a  Caution  Sep.  6,  1591.  He  signed  another 
Sep.  14,  and  likewise  the  Caution  of  October  8,  1591, 
to  relieve  the  Wardens. 

Although  these  Cautions  were  sometimes  pledges 
to  assist  the  Crown,  they  were  also,  in  some  cases, 
equivalent  to  our  bonds  to  keep  the  peace. 

James  Dicksone  de  Herdrig  was  declared  heir  to 
his  father  Alexander  Dicksone  de  Heardrig  in  161 7. 
John  Dikson,  younger  of  Herdrig,  was  witness  to  a 
Deed  of  Dickson  of  Kennetsydehead  in  1623. 
Robert  Diksoun  de  Heardrig  was  declared  heir  to 
his  brother  George  Diksoun  of  Heardrig  in  1626. 
Robert  Dicksoun  of  Hirdrig  was  on  an  Inquest  of 
John  Swynton  and  others  at  Dunse,  20th  Mar.  1628. 

The  fortalice  of  Hirdrig  was  destroyed  by  the 
English  army  in  1544. 

TULYQUHENDLAW. 

Mr.  Thomas  Dikson  had  a  Charter  of  the  lands  of 
Tulyquhendlaw,  county  Forfar,  confirmed  by  the 
King,  29th  Nov.  151 2. 

Hartree. 
Robert  Dickson,  born  circa  1530,  by  his  wife 
Anne,  daughter  of  John  Eccles  of  that  ilk,  county 
Dumfries,  was  father  of  John  Dickson  who  married 
Agnes,  daughter  of  John  Boe,  or  Book,  of  Stane, 
county  Lanark.     His  son,   John   Dickson,   who   ac- 


152  Cla7i  Dickson  Fa7nilies. 

quired  the  lands  of  Kilbucho,  county  Peebles,  in 
1630,  and  those  of  Hartree  in  the  same  county  in 
1633,  was  nominated  and  appointed  Colonel  of  Horse 
and  Foot  in  1643,  Commissioner  of  War  in  1644, 
and  Member  of  Parliament  for  Sanquhar  in  1645. 
In  1649,  he  was  raised  to  the  bench,  when  he  took 
the  title  of  Lord  Hartrie.  At  his  decease  he  gave 
Hartree  to  one  of  his  sons  and  Kilbucho  to  the  other, 
but  the  two  estates  became  united  again  in  the  early 
part  of  this  century. 

In  the  seventeenth  century,  William  Dickson  of 
Kilbucho  married  Margaret,  and  John  Dickson  of 
Hartrie  married  her  sister  Anne,  daughters  of  Sir 
William  Murray  of  Stanhope,  Bart.,  by  his  wife 
Janet,  daughter  of  James  Earl  of  Hartfield,  and  his 
wife  Margaret,  daughter  of  William,  Earl  of  Queens- 
berry.  David  Dickson  of  Hartrie  married  Helen, 
daughter  of  Sir  Alexander  Wedderburn  of  Blackness. 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  Dickson  of  Hartrie, 
married  Sir  George  Mackenzie,  Lord  Advocate  of 
Scotland  (ob.  1691),  and  their  daughter  Agnes  (born 
1663)  married  the  first  Earl  of  Bute. 

John  Dickson  of  Hartrie  was  Commissioner  of 
Supply  in  1704,  and  William  Dickson  of  Kilbucho 
was  so  also  the  same  year.  John  Dickson  of  Kil- 
bucho was  Member  of  Parliament  for  Peebles  in 
1747,  and  Brig.  General  William  Dickson  of  Kil- 
bucho, Lieut.-Governor  of  Cork,  was  Member  of 
Parliament  in  1802. 

The  last  representative  of  the   family,  Alexander 


Clan  Dickson  Families.  153 

Dickson  of  Hartree  and  Kilbucho,  LL.D.,  Justice  of 
the  Peace,  Deputy  Lieutenant  for  the  county  of 
Peebles,  and  Professor  of  Botany  in  the  University 
of  Edinburgh,  died  suddenly  while  skating  in  1888, 
and  was  succeeded  by  his  brother,  Archibald  Dick- 
son, Esq.,  of  Edinburgh,  M.  D.,  born  1837,  who  is 
twelfth  of  Hartrie  and  eleventh  of  Kilbucho. 
Seat.   Hartree  House,  Biggar. 

Banchrie. 

WiL  DiKSONE  in  Banchrie,  county  Perth,  was  sum- 
moned on  an  assize  in  Perth  in  1541,  and  they  after- 
ward became  possessed  of  the  lands,  or  part  of  them, 
as  Jacob  Dicksone,  Portioner  of  Banchrie,  died  in 
1642.  His  heir  was  William  Dicksone,  Senr.,  Bur- 
gess of  Perth. 

The  term  portioner,  anciently  parsenere,  signified 
partner  or  co-heir. 

Hassington  Mains. 

One  of  the  strong  houses  razed  in  1544. 

Robert  Dicksoun  of  Hassington  Manys,  county 
Berwick,  signed  the  Band  of  1571,  binding  himself 
to  rise  against  the  King's  enemies.  Robert  Dick- 
soun of  the  Manys  in  the  Newtoun  signed  that  of 
1574,  as  one  of  the  principals  of  the  Clan.  Robert 
Dicksoun  of  Hassingden  Manis  signed  the  Caution  of 
1 591,  to  relieve  the  Lords  Wardens  of  the  Marches, 
and  a  Dikson  of  Hassington  is  in  Monipenny's  List 

of  1597. 

20 


154  Clan  Dickson  Families. 

In  1 60 1,  William  Home  of  Ballycass  was  charged 
with  the  slaughter  of  the  late  Mr.  Alexander  Dik- 
soime,  son  to  the  late  Robert  Diksoune,  elder  of 
Hassingtoune-Manis,  committed  the  21st  day  of 
April,  1597.  Robert  Dickson  of  Maynes  was  living 
I2th  March,  1722,  when  Mr.  George  Dickson,  Advo- 
cate, made  a  disposition  to  him. 

Mains,  manis  or  maynes  signify  demesne  lands. 

A  small  fragment  of  the  old  fortalice  still  remains, 
forming  the  gabel  of  a  cottage. 

Newbigging. 

This  house  was  demolished  by  the  English  army 
in  1544. 

William  Diksoun  in  Newbigging,  county  Ber- 
wick, is  mentioned  in  a  caution  to  Overmains  and 
others,  August  15,  1591,  and  a  Dikson  in  Newbig- 
ging occurs  in  Monipenny's  List  of  A.  D.  1 597.  They 
appear  to  have  been  then  tenants,  but  became  after- 
ward proprietors,  as  John  Dickson  of  Newbigging 
served  heir  to  his  grandfather  {gudscr)  John  Dick- 
son of  Newbigging  in  1654. 

John  Dickson  of  Newbigging  was  Commissioner 
of  Supply  in  1686,  and  in  1689,  William  Dickson 
younger  of  Newbigging  was  one  of  the  witnesses  to 
the  marriage  contract  of  Dickson  of  Belchester. 

The  Earl  of  Hertford  says  (Oct.  8,  1544),  "burnt 
a  Towne  of  New-byging  and  brought  away  from 
thence  100  shepe,  4  nolt,  4  naggs  and  4  prisoners 
*      *      *      and  after  came  to  Mersington."      This 


Clan  Dickson  Families.  155 

proves  that  the  Newbigging  referred  to  was  the 
Dickson  barony,  which  was  in  the  vicinity  of  Mer- 
sington.  It  is  called  a  town,  but  in  Scotland  that 
word  signifies  not  only  a  town  as  in  England,  but 
also  a  collection  of  houses,  and  sometimes  even  a 
single  house. 

Newton. 

One  of  the  fortified  houses  demolished  in  1544. 

Alexander  Diksoun  of  Newtoun,  county  Ber- 
wick, is  mentioned  in  a  Caution  Aug.  5,  1691,  to 
Dickson  of  Overmains,  and  Alexander  Diksoun  in 
Newtoun  signed  a  Caution  with  Herdrig  and  others 
Sept.  15,  1691. 

Kennetsidehead. 

Another  of  the  strongholds  destroyed  in  1544. 

In  161 2,  John  Diksone  de  Kennetsydeheidis, 
county  Berwick,  was  the  nearest  relation  on  the  part 
of  his  father  Robert  Diksoun,  who  was  son  and  heir 
of  the  late  Robert  Diksoun,  Jr.,  of  Uvermanis,  and 
in  1623,  John  Dikson  of  Kennetsydeheadis  gave  an 
obligation  to  Home  of  Slegden  at  Stanefauld,  John 
Dikson  younger  of  Herdrig  being  a  witness. 

Stonefaulds. 

Another  of  the  peels  ruined  in  1544. 

In  a  list  of  the  Heritors  of  the  Shire  of  Berwick, 
who  attended  or  sent  their  servants  to  attend  the 
Rendezvous   on   Fogo   Moor  in    1696,  all  of  whom 


156  Clan  Dickson  Families. 

were  generally  well  mounted  and  armed  with  sword 
or  pistol,  was  John  Dickson  of  Stonefaulds,  who  was 
armed  with  a  sword.  This  place  was  held  by  a 
Dickson,  Esq.,  as  late  as  1829. 

Inveresk. 

John  Dicksone  of  Glasgow  temp.  Jac.  iv  (1567- 
1625)  purchased  of  Sir  Matthew  Stewart  of  Minto 
the  lands  of  Busby,  county  Lanark.  He  claimed 
descent  from  the  Buhtrig  family  and  was  father  of 
the  celebrated  Rev.  Dr.  David  Dickson,  Professor 
of  Divinity  in  the  University  of  Edinburgh  and 
Moderator  of  the  General  Assembly  when  it  was 
broken  up  by  order  of  Cromwell  in  1653.  He  was 
born  1583  and  died  1663. 

It  is  related  that  an  English  Merchant  happened 
to  be  in  Scotland  and  having  heard  three  of  Scot- 
land's worthies  preach,  describes  them  thus: — "First 
I  heard  a  sweet,  majestic-looking  man  (Mr.  Blair), 
and  he  showed  me  the  majesty  of  God.  After  him 
I  heard  a  little,  fair  man  (Mr.  Rutherford)  and  he 
showed  me  the  loveliness  of  Christ.  And  then  I 
heard  a  well-favored,  old  man,  with  a  long  beard 
(Mr.  Dickson)  and  that  man  showed  me  all  my 
heart." 

Dr.  Dickson's  son,  John  Dickson  of  Busby,  Member 
of  Parliament,  was  appointed  Colonel  or  Commander 
of  Horse  and  Foot  in  1649.  He  married  Mary, 
daughter  of  Sir  Robert  Montgomery  of  Skermerley, 
by  his  first  wife,  the  Lady  Mary,  daughter  of  Archi- 


Clan  Dickson  Families.  157 

bald,  Marquess  of  Argyle.  His  son,  Archibald  Dick- 
son of  Tourlands,  county  Ayr,  was  Commissioner  of 
Supply  for  that  shire  in  1690.  His  son,  Sir  Robert 
Dickson,  was  created  a  Baronet  in  1695,  and  took 
the  title  of  Sornbeg  from  a  barony  he  acquired  in 
Ayrshire,  and  was  afterward  styled  of  Carberry  and 
Inveresk.  He  married,  in  1693,  Helen,  daughter  of 
Sir  John  Colquhoun  of  Luss,  Bart,  by  his  wife  Mar- 
garet, daughter  and  heiress  of  Sir  Gideon  Baillie  of 
Lochend. 

Sir  Robert's  Arms  were  recorded  in  the  Lyon 
office  before  he  was  baronetted,  as  follows : — 

"  Captain  Robert  Dickson  of  Sornbeg  and  which 
Surname  was  originally  Keith,  Bears  Argent  three 
mollets  gules  on  a  chief  of  the  second  as  many  pales 
or.  For  his  Crest  within  two  branches  of  Laurel 
disposed  in  Orle  an  hart  couchant  guardant  proper 
attyred  or.  The  motto  Cubo  sed  euro.  Ext.  14th 
Sep.  1694." 

This  seems  to  have  been  extracled  from  some 
other  record  in  1694? 

Sir  Robert  was  one  of  the  Founders  of  the  Bank 
of  Scotland  in  1695,  and  was  also  one  of  the  Barons 
in  the  Scotch  Parliament  who  voted  for  the  Union, 
being  the  first  named  on  the  list  of  thirty-seven 
Barons  "Approvers."  He  died  1612,  having  had 
issue  a  daughter  who  married  Patrick  Grant,  Lord 
Elchies,  Judge  of  Session,  and  a  son  and  successor 
Sir  Robert  Dickson  of  Carberry,  Bart,  who  d.  s.  p. 
m.  in  1760. 


158  Clan  Dickson  Families. 

Kames. 

John  Diksoun  in  the  Camis,  county  Berwick, 
was  on  an  Assize  in  1574.  Patrick,  son  of  John 
Dickson  in  the  Camis,  was  witness  to  a  Bond  of  Pat- 
rick Chirnside  of  East  Nisbet,  to  John  Dickson,  son 
of  the  late  Robert  Dickson  of  Buhtrig,  in  1592.  John 
Diksoun  in  the  Camys  was  party  to  a  Bond  in  1603 
{vide  Peill). 

These  may  have  been  then  younger  sons  or  ten- 
ants, but  were  certainly  freeholders  soon  after,  as 
the  successor,  Patrick  Dickson  of  Caimes,  who  died 
circa  1662,  seems  to  have  been  a  pretty  large  pro- 
prietor, but  his  son  and  heir  apparent,  John  Dickson, 
signed  a  Renunciation  from  being  served  heir  to  his 
father  29th  Jan.  1663,  and  the  King  ratifies,  approves 
and  confirms  the  Charter  under  His  Majesty's  great 
seal,  granted  to  George  Home  of  Caimes  of  the 
lands  called  Caimes,  with  the  maner  place,  houses, 
bigings,  yeards,  orchyeards,  parts,  pendicles,  anexis, 
conexis  and  pertinents  thairof  sumtyme  possest  and 
occupyed  be  wmq"^*  Patrick  Dikson  of  Caimes.  And 
of  all  and  hail  the  lands  called  wester  Caimes,  with 
houses,  biging,  yeards,  parts,  pendicles  and  pertinents 
thairof  whatsomever.  With  the  bricksf  of  land  under- 
written, viz.:  that  brick  lyand  ^  *  *  with  ane 
other  brick  of  land  lyand  *  *  *  Ane  other  brick 
*  "^'  *  etc.  To  be  holden  of  his  Majestie  and  his 
Plienis  successours,  superiors   thairof  free  of  blensh 

'•'The  late, 
t  Portion. 


Clan  Dickson  Families.  159 

for  yearly  payment  of  ane  peiinle  scots  at  the  feist 
of  witsonday  at  the  maner  place  of  Calmes. 

LOANIIEAD. 

JiiONE  DiKsoNE  called  Jhone  of  the  Loneheid, 
county  Berwick,  had  a  Deed  confirmed  by  the  King 
in  1574.  Patrick  Dicksoun,  brother  of  Johnne  Dik- 
soun,  called  The  Lonheid,  is  mentioned  in  a  Caution 
in  1 59 1  {vide  Overmains). 

This  Patrick,  younger  of  Loneheid,  may  have  been 
the  one  who  sic^ned  the  Band  acfreeincr  to  serve  the 
King  against  Bothwell. 

John  Diksoun  de  Loneheid  served  heir  to  his 
father,  Patrick  Dicksoune  in  1593,  and  Pat  Diksone 
de  Lonheid  served  heir  to  his  father  in  the  lands  of 
Birghem,  Newtoun  de  Birghem  and  Langbirghem  in 
1662. 

Peill. 

This  seems  hardly  a  distinctive  appellation  in  a 
country  of  peels,  but  it  may  have  been  either  a  large 
and  imposing  one,  or  a  solitary  one  built  when  there 
were  no  others  in  the  vicinity  ;  or  perhaps  it  was  the 
only  tower  among  surrounding  bastilles,  and  it  is  not 
unlikely  that  it  is  the  very  peel  or  tower  mentioned 
in  1479,  when  the  Macer  summoned  Patrick  Diksone, 
Laird  of  Mersington,  "  at  his  (bastel)  house,"  and 
also  William  Diksone  of  the  tower,  at  the  tower  in 
Eccles,  for  it  is  here  also  called  the  tower  par  excel- 
lence. 

The  Laird  of  Peill,  county  Berwick,  in  1590,  is 
included  among  the   Dicksons  in  the   Roll  of  Ber- 


i6o  Clan  Dickso7i  Families. 

wickshire  Landlords,  where  they  occur  in  the  follow- 
ing order  :  Buhtrig,  Belchester,  Leitholm,  Peill  and 
Herdrig,  and  either  he  was  incorrectly  styled  "  in  " 
in  1603,  o^*  t^"^^  following  applies  to  some  younger 
member  of  his  family  :  "  Edinburgh,  June  21,  1603. 
George  Trotter  of  Prentonnan  surety  for  Patrick 
Diksoun  in  Belchester,  William  Diksoun  in  the 
Grene,  John  Diksoun  in  the  Camys,  James  Diksoun 
in  the  Peill  and  Tames  Diksoun  in  Ouhitricf  bound  in 
^1000  each  to  buy  from  Colonel  Balfour  such  sort 
of  arms  as  they  are  bound  to  buy  according  to  the 
Act  of  Convention." 

From  this  and  other  Cautions  it  would  appear  as 
if  the  bondsman  had  to  be  of  some  other  family  ? 

There  is  a  place  on  the  Buhtrig  estate  still  called 
Peelneuk  (Peel  corner),  showing  that  there  was  a 
peel  (unnamed  ?)  there,  probably  the  stronghold  of 
this  family.  There  are  no  ruins,  but  on  the  opposite 
hill  are  remains  of  walls,  etc. 

OVERMAINS. 

Robert  Dicksoun,  elder  of  Over  Manis,  county 
Berwick,  Robert,  John  and  Mr,  Alexander  Diksonis, 
his  sons,  Alexander  Diksoun  of  Newtoun,  William 
Diksoun  in  Newbigging,  Patrick  Diksoun,  brother 
of  John  Diksoun,  called  The  Lonheid,  Sir  John  Ed- 
mondston  of  that  Ilk,  William  Diksoun  in  Ednew, 
Johnne  Diksoun  his  brother,  George  Diksoun  in 
Harlaw  and  Johnne  Diksoun  his  son  were  assured 
in  a  Caution  to  the  King,  Aug.  5,  1591,  by  Hume  of 


Clan  Dickson  Families.  i6i 

Aytoun  and  others,  "  that  they  shall  be  harmless  of 
them;"  i.  e.,  Hume  and  his  party  agreed  to  keep 
the  peace. 

Robert  Diksoun,  Jr.,  of  Overmanis  was  on  an 
Assize  in  1601.  Robert  diksoun  of  Overmaynes  was 
Colonel  of  Horse  and  Foot  in  1648,  and  Robert 
diksone  of  Overmaynes  was  Commissioner  of  War 
for  Berwick  and  Commissioner  of  Supply  in  1686. 

Helena,  Susanna  and  Lilias  Dicksones  were  de- 
clared heiresses  of  their  brother  Robert  Dickson  of 
Overmaynes  In  1694. 

Harlaw. 
George  Diksoun  in  Harlaw,  county  Berwick,  is 
mentioned  in  the  Caution  to  Overmains  in  1591,  but 
they  afterward  became  landlords,  as  George  Diksoun 
of  Harlaw  is  mentioned  in  1609,  and  in  a  List  of 
Heritors  of  the  shire  who  attended  a  review  {vide 
Stonefaulds)  in  1691,  was  John  Dickson  of  Harlaw, 
who  was  armed  with  a  sword.  Harlaw  is  a  small 
place,  however  ;  only  a  farm  steading,  and  the  owner 
was,  therefore,  probably  a  so-called  "bonnet  laird." 

Sydenham. 

William  Diksoun  in  Ednew,  county  Roxburgh, 
was  one  of  the  parties  mentioned  in  a  Caution  from 
Hume  of  Ayton,  Aug.  5,  1591  {vide  Overmains). 

William  Dikson  in  Ednem  gave  an  obligation  to 
John  Dikson  in  Ednem,  at  Ednem  in  1606. 

John  Dickson  of  Ednam  and  Sydenham,  county 
Roxburgh,  Member  of   Parliament   for  Selkirk  and 


21 


1 62  Clan  Dickson  Families. 

Peebles,  died  1771.  His  brother,  Archibald  Dickson 
of  Pontefract,  county  York,  was  father  of  Admiral 
William  Dickson,  whose  son,  Admiral  Sir  Alexander 
Dickson,  Bart.  {cr.  1802),  was  ancestor  of  the 
present  Sir  John  Dickson-Poynder,  6th  Bart.,  born 
1866,  of  Sydenham,  who  assumed  the  additional 
name  of  Poynder  in  1881. 

Seat  —  Sydenham,  county  Roxburgh  and  Hard- 
ingham,  county  Norfolk. 

Haddington. 

Robert  Dicksoun  was  Portioner  of  the  lands  of 
the  Abbey  of  Haddington,  same  county,  before  1618, 
in  which  year  his  son,  John  Dickson,  served  heir  to 
him.  Patrick  Dickson  was  Portioner  of  the  same  in 
1636. 

Whitslaid. 

John  Dickson  of  Whitslaid,  county  Peebles,  born 
1629,  a  cadet  of  Kilbucho,  was  Commissioner  of 
Excise  for  Peebles  in  1661,  and  of  Supply  and  of  the 
Militia  in  1689.  He  married  Janet,  daughter  of  Sir 
David  Murray  of  Stanhope,  by  his  wife  Lilias, 
daughter  of  John,  Earl  of  Wigton,  and  his  wife 
Lilias,  daughter  of  John,  Earl  of  Montrose.  His 
great-grandson,  William  Dickson,  sold  the  estate  of 
Whitside  to  his  kinsman,  William  Dickson  of  Kil- 
bucho, and  settled  in  Jamaica. 

Westraw. 
John  Dicksone  of  Westraw,  county  Berwick,  was 
on  an  Inquest  of  Service  of  John    Swinton  of  that 
Ilk  in  1632. 


Clan  Dickson  Fafnilies.  163 

Stane. 

James  Dickson,  a  cadet  of  Kilbucho,  is  said  to 
have  acquired  the  lands  of  Stane,  county  Lanark, 
from  his  kinsman  John  Boe  or  Book  of  Stane  in 
1640.  In  1663,  however,  the  King  ratified  a  dispo- 
sition made  by  William  Lindesay  in  1658,  to  James 
Dickson  of  Stane,  with  tour,  houses,  yeards,  perti- 
nents thereof,  etc. 

He  was  made  Colonel  of  Horse  and  Foot  in  1649. 
He  married  Janet  Douglas,  and  secondly  Margaret 
Edmonston,  and  had  five  sons  and  four  daughters. 

In  1663,  William,  Earl  of  Dumfries,  gave  a  bond 
for  500  merks  to  James  Dickson  of  Stane,  writer 
(advocate)  in  Edinburgh,  probably  son  of  the  pre- 
ceding. This  James  had  a  son  Alexander,  who 
signed  a  bond  in  1664. 

LOCHARWOODS. 

This  was  once  entirely  Dickson  property,  but  was 
divided  into  Upper,  Mid  and  Nether  Locharwoods. 
The  two  latter  have  passed  away. 

Thomas  Dickson  of  Nether  Locharwoods,  county 
Dumfries,  born  circa  1650,  died  May  5,  171 7,  leaving 
a  son  John,  born  1682,  died  1743,  aged  61,  leaving  a 
son  David,  born  1727,  died  1806,  aged  79,  having  had 
issue  (i)  George,  who  died  unmarried  1803,  aged  25^ 
(2)  Richard  Lothian,  Major  ist  Life  Guards,  who 
married  Julia,  daughter  of  Gen.  Thomas  Coxe,  Foot 
Guards,  and  died  in  France  in  1841.  His  eldest  son, 
Lieut.  Col.  Lothian  Sheffield,  born  1806,  was  a 
Knight  of  the  Order  of  St.  Ferdinand  of  Spain. 


164  Clan  Dickson  Families. 

John  Dickson  of  Upper  and  Mid  Locharwoods, 
born  1671,  died  1751,  aged  80,  and  was  succeeded  by 
his  son,  John  Dickson  of  Upper  Locharwoods,  born 
1719,  died  1793,  aged  74,  and  was  succeeded  by  his 
son,  William  Dickson  of  Upper  Locharwoods,  born 
1745,   died    1827,   aged  82,  leaving  a  daughter  and 

heiress  who  married Clark,  Esq.,  and  had  issue 

a  son,  who  assumed  the  additional  name  of  Dickson, 
the  present 

William  Clark  Dickson,  Esq.,  of  Upper  Lochar- 
woods, who  married  and  has  issue. 

MONYBUIE. 

Thomas  Dickson  of  Locharwoods,  county  Dum- 
fries, was  born  1680.  He  was  father  of  John  Dick- 
son of  Conheath  in  the  same  county.  Provost  of 
Dumfries  1764-72.  One  of  his  sons,  the  Hon.  Wil- 
liam Dickson,  M.  L.  C,  settled  in  Canada,  where  he 
became  Member  of  the  Legislative  Council,  and  was 
succeeded  by  his  son,  the  Hon.  Walter  Dickson,  M. 
L.  C,  who  married  and  left  issue. 

From  the  Provost  also  sprang  Walter  Dickson, 
W.  S.,  who  married  Margaret,  daughter  and  co- 
heiress of  Thomas  Goldie  of  Monybuie,  Kircudbright, 
and  was  father  of  the  present  (i)  John  Dickson,  W. 
S.,  of  Monybuie,  born  181 7,  married  Eliza,  daughter 
of  Colonel  A.  Macleod,  C.  B.  (2)  Thomas  Goldie, 
born  1819,  J.  P.,  married  the  Hon.  Louisa  Charlotte, 
daughter  of  2d  Viscount  Sidmouth.  (3)  Walter 
George,  M.  D.  and  J.  P.     (4)  James  Gilchrist,  mar- 


Clan  Dickson  Families.  165 

ried  Jane  Catherine,  daughter  of  George  H.  Jackson, 
Esq.,  of  Glenmore,  county  Waterford.  (5)  George, 
married  Edith  Mary,  daughter  of  Miles  Charles 
Seton,  Esq.,  of  Feskerby,  Cornwall.  (6)  William, 
married  Anne  Stewart,  daughter  of  Thomas  Bruce, 
Esq.,  of  Langlee,  and  (7)  David  Scott,  married 
Hon.  Frances  Sophia,  fourth  daughter  of  2d  Vis- 
count Sidmouth. 

Barretstone  Castle  (Ireland). 
Sir  KiLDARE  BoRROWES  of  Barretstone  Castle, 
county  Kildare,  third  Baronet,  married  Eliza, 
daughter  of  Sir  Richard  Dixon,  of  a  Scotch  family 
(knighted  in  1683,  died  1709),  by  his  wife,  the  widow 
of  the  Lord  Chancellor  Eustace.  His  son.  Sir  Walter 
Dixon-Borrowes,  M,  P.,  who  inherited  the  estates  of 
his  maternal  uncle,  Robert  Dixon,  Esq.,  of  Colvers. 
town,  county  Kildare,  and  assumed  the  name  of 
Dixon,  was  ancestor  of  the  present  Sir  Erasmus 
DixoN-BoRROWES,  Qtli  Barouet,  High  Sheriff,  county 
Kildare,  1873. 

Westerhall. 

John  Dickson  of  Westerhall,  county  Selkirk  (?), 
was  father  of  James  Dickson  of  Westerhall,  who 
married  Maria  Home,  and  was  living  in  1693. 

Westerbinning. 
Mr.     Alexander    Dicksone    of     Westerbinning, 
county    Linlithgow(?),   registered    his  Arms  in    the 
Lyon   office  between   the  years    1672  and    1694,  as 
follows  : 


1 66  Clan  Dickson  Families. 

"  Mr.  Alexander  Dicksone  of  Westerbinning  de- 
scended of  the  familie  of  Buhtrig  which  was  descended 
of  the  Earle  Marshall  Bears  azur  three  mollets  argent 
on  a  chief  Or  alse  many  pallets  gules  a  bordur  en- 
grailed of  y^  third.  On  ane  helmet  befitting  his 
degree  with  a  mantle  gules  doubled  argent  and 
wreath  of  his  collours  is  sett  for  his  crest  a  man's 
heart  volant  proper  with  wings  argent.  The  motto 
in  an  Escroll,  Coelum  versus." 

From  the  title  Magister  or  Master  he  was  probably 
an  Advocate. 

Patrick  Dickson  of  Westbinnie  was  Commissioner 
of  Supply  for  Linlithgow  in  1695,  and  a  contract  of 
marriage  between  Patrick  Dickson  of  Byning  and 
Christian  Dundas,  only  daughter  of  John  Dundas  of 
Manor,  co.  Perth,  was  signed  at  Edinburgh  26th  Dec, 
1696.  John  Dickson,  only  son  of  the  deceased  Pat- 
rick Dickson,  of  West-Bining,  signed  a  Ratification 
in  1 72 1,  and  the  same  John  signed  another  deed  at 
Edinburgh  4th  Oct.,  1725. 

Nisbet,  in  1722,  mentions  Mr.  Alexander  Dickson 
of  Wester-Binninpf. 

There  are  places  called  Bining  both  in  Linlithgow 
and  Haddington  shires. 

Pe  RSI  LANDS. 

Mary  Dickson  of  Kilbucho,  county  Peebles,  born 

1709,  married  in  1733 Muirhead  of  Persilands, 

county  Lanark,  who  died  leaving  that  estate  to  her. 
She  died  1782,  i-.  /.,  leaving  it  to  her  nephew   Rev. 


Clan  Dickson  Fa^nilies.  167 

David  Dickson  of  Edinburorh,  ob.  1820,  one  of 
whose  grandsons  emigrated  to  the  United  States  of 
America  and  settled  in  Indiana. 

Gothenburg,  Sweden. 

James  Dickson  of  Kelso,  born  circa  A.  D.  1715, 
believed  to  be  a  scion  of  the  house  of  Westerbinning, 
was  father  of  James  Dickson,  merchant,  who  settled 
in  Montrose  in  1780.  His  fourth  son,  James  Dick- 
son, born  1784,  removed  to  Gothenburg,  Sweden, 
where  he  died  1855.  ^^i^  son,  Baron  Oscar  Dick- 
son, Phil.  Doct.  of  Gothenburg,  born  1823,  was  en- 
nobled in  1880  and  created  Baron  of  the  Kingdom 
of  Sweden  in  1886.  He  married  Countess  von 
Rosen,  daughter  of  Count  Adolph  E.  von  Rosen  of 
Penningby,  and  has  issue. 

The  baron  has  a  signet  ring  which  has  been  very 
long  in  the  family  on  which  is  engraved  the  winged 
heart  of  the  Westerbinning  family  together  with 
their  motto. 

Alton  and  Chisholme. 

Archibald  Dickson  of  Hassendeanburn  and  Hors- 
ley  Hill,  county  Berwick,  born  1718,  was  father  of 
(i)  Robert  Dickson  of  Huntlaw  and  Hassendean, 
born  1742,  who  succeeded  him  ;  (2)  Archibald  Dick- 
son of  Chatto,  q.  v.,  born  1755,  and  others.  One  of 
his  successors  dying  s.  p.  in  1846,  was  succeeded  by 
his  nephew,  William  Richardson  of  Alton,  who  as- 
sumed   the  additional   name  of    Dickson,  and   died 


1 68  Clan  Dickson  Families. 

1859,  leaving  a  son,  William  Richardson  Dickson  of 
Alton,  who  died  1881,  leaving  two  daughters,  (i) 
Blanche  Margaret  Dickson  of  Alton  and  Chisholme, 
county  Roxburgh,  and  (2)  Jessie  Mary  Dickson. 

Chatto. 
Archibald  Dickson,  younger  son  of  Archibald 
Dickson  of  Hassendeanburn  {vide  Alton  and  Chis- 
holme), born  1755,  married  a  daughter  of  Fisher  of 
Housebyres,  and  was  ancester  of  the  present  Colonel 
Archibald  Dickson,  R.  A.,  of  Chatto,  Buhtrig  and 
Housebyres,  J.  P.  and  D.  L.  for  Roxburgh,  and  J, 
P.  for  Berwick,  born  1829,  married,  1880,  Alice 
Florence,  daughter  of  J.  W.  Seaburne-May,  Esq. 

Blackbeck,  etc. 

The  Dicksons,  formerly  of  Burton,  county  Lan- 
caster, and  of  Blackbeck,  same  county,  are  of  Scotch 
oriofin. 

George  Frederick  Dickson  of  Blackbeck,  etc, 
had  four  sons,  of  whom  the  only  survivor  is  the 
present  Arthur  Benson  Dickson,  Esq.,  of  Blackbeck 
and  Abbot's  Reading.  A  Magistrate  for  the  county. 
Born  1827. 

Corstorphine. 

John  Dickson,  Esq.  of  Corstorphine,  county  Edin- 
burgh, who  died  1872,  was  father  of  John  Heatly 
Dickson,  Esq.,  of  Corstorphine,  Commissioner  of 
Supply  for  Mid  Lothian,  born  1843,  married,  1874, 
Anna,  daughter  of  Sir  William  Collins. 

In  1720,  the  lands  and  barony  of  Corstorphine  be- 
longed to  Sir  Robert  Dickson,  Bart, 


Cla7i  Dickson  Families.  169 

WlIITECROSS. 

William  Dickson,  J.  P.  of  Whitecross,  county 
Berwick,  was  father  of  the  present  William  Dickson, 
Esq.,  of  Whitecross,  a  Magistrate  for  the  county, 
who  married,  ist,  1852,  his  cousin  Dorothy,  daughter 
of  the  Hon.  Sir  Henry  Manisty,  and  secondly 
Frances,  daughter  of  the  late  Francis  George  West, 
Esq.,  of  Horsham  Hall,  Exeter,  J.  P.  and  D.  L. 


Clockbriggs. 
Dickson  of  Clockbriggs,   county  Forfar,   Knight 
of  the  Order  of  the  Legion  of  Honour,  had  a  Grant 
of  Arms  in  1856. 

WOOODVILLE. 

Dickson  of  Woodville,  county  Forfar.     A  branch 
of  the  Clockbriggs  family  as  shown  by  their  Arms. 

Panbride. 
Dickson  of  Panbride,  county  Forfar.     A  branch 
of  the  Clockbriggs  family  as  proved  ^by  their  Arms. 

Peelwalls. 

John   Dickson  of  Peelwalls,  county  Berwick,  died 

leaving  a  daughter  and  heiress  who  married,  in  1863, 

George  Weir  Cosens,  Esq.,  eldest  son  of  R.  Cosens, 

Esq.,  of  Kames,  county  Berwick.     A  Magistrate  for 

the  county  and  Captain  in  Her  Majesty's  85th  Light 

Infantry. 

Barnhill. 

David   Dickson,   Esq.,  of  Frogfield,  county  Kin- 
cardine,  who   died    1878,  was  father  of  the  present 
22 


I  70  Chill  Dickso7i  Families. 

Patrick  Dickson,  Esq.,  of  Barnhill  in  the  same  shire. 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  the  county,  married,  1856, 
Rosahe  IsaHne,  daughter  of  M.  Francois  Favre  of 
Geneva. 

Clonleiiarde. 
Samuel  Auchmuty  Dickson,  Esq.,  of  Clonleharde, 
county  Limerick,  had  a  Dickson  arms  confirmed  to 
him  by  the  EngHsh   Herald's  College,  with  a  mark 
of  Cadency. 

Stockton-upon-Tees  (Town). 
Richard  Dickson,   Esq.,   of  Stockton-upon-Tees, 
county  Durham,  is  of  Scotch  origin.      He  is  Lord  of 
the  Manor  of  Beverly-Watertown,  county  York. 

Many  landholders  have  undoubtedly  passed  into 
oblivion  who  have  never  been  recorded,  or  whose 
records  have  been  lost  by  the  ravages  so  frequent  on 
the  Marches,  while  still  others  occur  with  but  short 
notices  of  the  names  only,  as  the  Dicksons  of 
Oulentis,  or  Clontis,  county  Wigton,  first  mentioned 
A.  D.  1471  ;  of  Cowiswark,  1574;  of  Roskuniefield, 
1579  ;  of  Bumhouse,  1604,  and  of  Ouhitrig,  1607. 

Besides  these  were  the  tenants,  who  were,  as 
already  shown,  of  the  better  class,  and  not  sub- 
tenants or  cottars;  as  Dickson  in  Glenpoite,  1479; 
in  Luthrie,  1480;  in  Rothuylt,  1480;  in  Le  Kingis 
Barnis,  1480;  in  Railston,  1480;  in  Crawmond-regis, 
1524;  in  Bothkennar,  1528;  in  Inglestoun,  1534;  in 
Challachwrek,    1554;    in    Bonytoun,    1558;    in    Elis- 


Clan  Dickson  Families.  171 

toun,  1575  ;  in  Bankheid,  1576;  in  Brochtoun,  1581  ; 
in  Meginch,  1583;  in  Ancrum,  1590;  in  Ouodquon, 
1590;  in  Manerkirk,  1591  ;  in  Fairnyrig,  1591  ;  in 
Esshiesteill,  1592;  in  Gourdis,  1592;  in  Mertoun, 
1595;  in  Newtoiinheid,  1595;  in  Scotlandwell,  1595; 
in  Preston,  1597;  in  the  Grene,  1603;  in  Carphray, 
1604;  in  Snawdoun,  1604;  in  Easthopes,  1604;  in 
Airhouse,  1608;  in  Gordon,  1608;  and  in  Fechane, 
1609. 

The  dates  given  are  when  they  first  occur,  but  it 
is  now  impossible  to  show  how  long  they  had  then 
been  settled  there,  or  how  long  they  afterwards  held 
the  lands. 


Members  of  Parliament  (anciently  called  Com- 
missioners TO  Parliament)  to  end  of  the  last 
Century. 

THE  OLD  SCOTTISH  PARLIAMENT  MET  FOR  THE  LAST  TIME  IN    1  707. 

John    Dickson   of  Winkston,   for   Peebles,   A.    D. 

1558. 

Patrick  Dickson,  for  Peebles,(?)  A.  D.  1583. 

John    Dickson  of  Winkston,   for   Peebles,   A.    D. 
161 2. 

John  Dickson,  for  Sanquhar,  A.  D.  1645. 

Andrew  Dickson,  for  Inverkeithing,  A.  D.  1649. 

John  Dickson  of  Hartrie,  for  Peebles,  A.  D.  1649. 

John   Dickson   of  Busby,  for   Lanark,  A.   D.  1649. 


172  Clan  Dickson  Families. 

David  Dickson,  for  Forfar,  A.  D.  1661. 

John  Dickson,  for  New  Galloway,  A.  D.  1661. 

Robert  Dickson,  for  New  Galloway,  A.  D.  1663. 

George  Dickson  of  Buhtrig,  for  New  Galloway, 
A.  D.  1678. 

Sir  Robert  Dickson  of  Inveresk,  Bart.,  for  Edin- 
burgh, A.  D.  1702. 

John  Dickson,  Jr.,  of  Kilbiicho,  for  Peebles,  A.  D. 
1747. 

James  Dickson  of  Broughton  and  Ednam,  for 
Peebles  and  Selkirk,  A.  D.  1768. 

Brig.  General  William  Dickson  of  Kilbiicho,  Lieut- 
Governor  of  Cork,  A.  D.  1802. 


Arms. 

Belchester.  Az.  three  mullets  ar.  on  a  chief  or, 
as  many  pallets  gu.  Crest —  A  dexter  hand  holding 
a  sword  in  bend  ppr.      Motto  —  Eortes  fortuna  juvat. 

Blackbeck,  etc.  Quarterly,  first  and  fourth  az. 
three  mullets  ar.  on  a  chief  or,  as  many  pallets  gu, 
for  Dickson.  Second  and  third,  ar.  on  a  chevron 
between  three  goat's  heads  erased  sa.  as  many 
escallops  of  the  field  for  Benson.  Crest  —  First 
Dickson.  A  dexter  hand  holding  a  sword  in  bend 
ppr.     Second  Benson.   A  goat's  head  as  in  the  Arms. 

Buhtrig.  The  same  as  afterwards  borne  by  Bel- 
chester. 

Chatto,  etc.  Same  Arms  as  Dickson  of  Huntlaw, 
with  the  bar  enerailed.     Same  Crest  and  Motto. 


Clan  Dickson  Families.  i  "j^y 

Clockbriggs.  Per  fess  az.  and  arg.  in  chief  a  mart, 
let  or.  between  two  mullets  of  the  second,  and  in 
base  a  ship  in  full  sail  with  sea,  between  a  garb  and 
thistle  all  ppr.,  on  a  chief  of  the  third  three  pallets 
gu.  On  a  canton  the  Decoration  of  the  Imperial 
Order  of  the  Legion  of  Honour.  Crest  —  A  dexter 
hand  holding  a  sword  in  bend  ppr.  Motto  —  Fortes 
fort  una  juvat. 

Clonleiiarde.  Az.  a  crescent  between  three  mul- 
lets ar.  on  a  chief  or,  as  many  pallets  gu.  Crest  — 
Out  of  battlements  a  naked  arm  cmbowed  holding  a 
sword  all  ppr.     Motto —  Fortes  fortuna  juvat. 

Glenham  Hall,  vide  Alexander  G.  Dickson 
(Major). 

HuNTLAW  Az.  a  bar  or,  between  three  mullets  ar. 
On  a  chief  of  the  second  two  pallets  gu.  Crest  —  A 
dexter  hand  holding  a  sword  in  bend  ppr.  Motto  — 
Fortes  fortuna  juvat. 

Ilk.   Of  that,  vide  Ormiston. 

Inveresk.  Ar.  three  mullets  gu.  on  a  chief  of  the 
second  as  many  pallets  or.  Crest  —  A  hart  couchant 
and  guardant  ppr.  attired  or,  within  two  branches  of 
laurel  disposed  orleways.     Motto  —  Cubo  sed  euro. 

Newbigging.  The  same  as  Buhtrig,  with  addi- 
tional figures  for  difference,  as  Nisbet  says,  but  he 
does  not  blazon  these  marks  of  cadency. 

Ormiston.  Ar.  a  wehr  wolf  sa.,  on  a  chief  az.  three 
mullets  of  the  first.  This  coat  of  arms  marked 
"Dikesoun  of  yat  Ilk,"  and  attributed  to  Ormeston, 
is  emblazoned  in  the  MS.  of   Sir  David   Lyndsay  of 


174  Clan  Dickson  Families. 

the  Mount,  Lord  Lyon  King  at  Arms,  A.  D.  1542. 
A  wehr  wolf  is  a  human-faced  one,  a  heraldic  animal, 
the  French  loup-garou. 

Panbride.  The  same  as  Clockbriggs  within  a  bor- 
dure  gu.,  but  without  the  canton.  Same  Crest  and 
Motto. 

Smithfield.  Ar.  three  mullets,  a  chief  gu.  From 
a  Funeral  Escutcheon  of  the  Hay  Family. 

Sydenham.  Az.  an  anchor  erect  or,  encircled  with 
an  oak  wreath  vert,  between  three  mullets  pierced  of 
the  second.  On  a  chief  of  the  last  three  pallets  gu., 
the  centre  one  surmounted  by  a  mural  crown  ar. 
Crest  —  An  armed  arm  embowed  brandishingf  a  fal- 
chion  ppr.  surmounted  of  a  trident  and  spear  in  sal- 
tire  or.     Motto —  Fortes  fortuna  juvat. 

Westerbinning.  Az.  three  mullets  ar.  on  a  chief, 
or,  as  many  pallets  gu.,  the  whole  within  a  bordure 
engrailed  of  the  third.  Crest  —  A  man's  heart  ppr, 
winged  ar.     Motto  —  Ccelum  versus. 

WiNKSTON.  Ar.  a  werewolf  passant  ppr.  on  a  chief 
az.  three  mullets  of  the  first.  Crest  —  A  pelican  in 
her  piety. 

A  branch  of  this  house  as  already  mentioned  quar- 
tered a  bull's  head  sa.  langued  gu.  armed  or,  on  a 
chief  of  the  third  an  armory  sword  ppr. 

Woodville.  The  same  as  Clockbriggs  within  a 
bordure  ar.  but  without  the  canton.  Same  Crest  and 
Motto. 

Major  Alexander  G.  Dickson,  M.  P.,  of  Glenham 
Hall,  CO.  Suffolk,     The  Arms  of  Belchester. 


Clan  Dickson  Families.  I75 

B.  Homer  Dixon,  K.  N.  L.,  Toronto. 

Ar.  three  mullets  gu.  on  a  chief  or,  as  many  pallets 
of  the  second.  Crest — A  hand  holding  a  sword  in 
bend  ppr.     Motto  —  Fortes  fortuna  juvat. 

Charles  Decksoune,  A.  D.  1481.  A  lion  passant. 
On  a  chief  a  crescent  between  two  mullets.  "  S. 
Charles  Decksoune."       Dalhousie  Charters. 

This  seal  of  the  year  1 481,  is  from  Laing's  Descrip- 
tive Catalogue  of  Scottish  Seals.  Not  being  very 
legible  a  wehr  wolf  has  probably  been  mistaken  for 
a  lion.  "S."  is  the  abbreviation  of  the  Latin  for 
"Seal  of."  The  name  generally  accompanied  the 
arms  on  old  seals. 

Sir  CoLLiNGWooD  Dickson,  G.  C.  B.,  V.  C,  Officer 
of  the  Order  of  the  Legion  of  Honour,  General  in 
the  Army.  (Son  of  the  late  Admiral  Sir  Alexander 
Dickson,  G.  C.  B.,  K.  C.  H.  and  A.  D.  C.  to  King 
William  IV).  Same  Arms  and  Motto  as  Dickson  of 
Sydenham,  Bart.  Crest  —  The  same  also,  a  crescent 
on  the  arm  for  difference. 

Isabella  Dyxcoun,  wife  of  W.  Nicolson.  Three 
mullets.  "S.  Isabel  Dyxcoun."  Appended  to  Re- 
version of  one  husband-land  in  the  town  of  Yester, 
A.  D.  1527.     Tweeddale  Charters. 

Sir  Jeremiah  Dickson,  K.  C.  B.,  Major  General. 
Ar.  a  chevron  between  three  estoiles  of  six  points 
wavy  gu.  on  a  chief  of  the  last  as  many  pallets  or. 
Crest  —  On  a  mural  crown  or  a  stag  couchant  guard- 
ant  ppr.  attired  or. 

Baron  Oscar  Dickson,  of  Gothenburg.  Quarterly, 
first  and  fourth  ar.  a  rose  gu.     Second   and  third 


176  Clan  Dickson  Families. 

upon  a  bend  an  estoile  ar.  on  an  inescutcheon  az.  a 
man's  heart  ppr.  winged  ar.  Crest — -Over  a  baronial 
coronet,  two  coronetted  helmets,  on  the  first  a 
man's  heart  as  in  the  arms,  and  over  the  other  a 
laurel  wreath  vert.     Motto  —  Coelum  versus. 

Richard  Dickson,  Esq.  Stocton-upon-Tees.  Ar. 
three  mullets  gu.  within  a  bordure  engrailed  az. 
bezant^e,  on  a  chief  of  the  second  three  pallets  or. 
Crest  —  On  a  mount  vert  between  two  branches  of 
palm  a  buck  lodged  in  front  of  a  tree  all  ppr. 


Clan  Dickson  Families.  177 


POSTSCRIPT. 

As  a  rule  it  may  be  said  that  the  sons,  or  at  least 
the  grandchildren  of  Scotchmen  who  settle  in  Eng- 
lish-speaking- countries,  soon  lose  the  language  of 
their  fathers,  some  even  looking  at  it  as  one  not  to 
be  proud  of,  but  ours  is  not  on  a  level  with  the  dif- 
ferent English  provincial  dialects  as  is  generally  con- 
sidered, but  as  Mackay  in  his  Dictionary  of  Lowland 
Scotch,  says  is,  broadly  speaking,  classic  old  English, 
and  as  the  London  Daily  Telegraph  says,  the  terse 
and  vigorous  expressions  of  the  Lowlanders  are  of 
older  and  purer  extraction  than  many  a  word  and 
phrase  current  with  us  to-day.  "  Neither  the  ver- 
nacular nor  our  literature  would  be  the  losers,  per- 
chance, if  Dr.  Mackay  had  the  power,  as  doubtless 
he  possesses  the  inclination,  to  weed  our  modern 
discourse  of  some  of  its  thin,  insipid  colloquialisms, 
and  fill  their  places  by  the  best  of  the  strong,  har- 
monious language  that  gives  local  colouring  to  the 
pages  of  Scott  and  Hogg,  Ramsay  and  Macneil. 
Who  would  not  gladly  see  some  of  Burns'  one-word 
sentences  once  more  restored  to  use  amongst  us,  and 
ousting  some  of  the  insipid  and  un-English  jargon 
which  weaken  as  well  as  deface  the  most  widely- 
spoken,  and,  with  fair  play  and  wise  conservatism, 
the  most  simple,  mobile  and  powerful  language  in 
the  whole  world.  English  and  Lowland  Scotch  were 
23 


1 78  Clan  Dickson  Families. 

originally  the  same,  but  the  literary  and  social  in- 
fluences of  the  southern  metropolis,  after  the  transfer 
of  the  Royal  Family  of  Stuart  have  favored  the  in- 
fusion of  a  Latin  element  into  current  English,  which 
our  kinsman  were  slow  to  adopt,  and  which  we  have 
taken  with  small  or  no  advantage." 

Another  writer  says  :  "  The  pure  and  classical  lan- 
guage of  Scotland  must  on  no  account  be  regarded 
as  a  provincial  dialect  any  more  than  French  was  so 
regarded  in  the  reign  of  Henry  V.,  or  Italian  in  the 
time  of  the  first  Napoleon,  or  Greek  under  the 
Roman  Empire.  Nor  is  it  to  be  in  any  way  consid- 
ered as  a  corruption  of  the  Saxon  ;  on  the  contrary 
it  contains  much  of  the  old  and  genuine  Saxon,  with 
an  intermixture  from  the  Northern  nations,  as 
Danish  and  Norse,  and  some,  though  a  small  por- 
tion, from  the  Celtic,"  and  Lord  Brougham  made 
these  striking  remarks,  "  There  can  be  no  doubt  that 
the  English  language  would  greatly  gain  by  being 
enriched  with  a  number,  both  of  words  and  phrases, 
or  terms  of  expression  now  peculiar  to  the  Scotch. 
It  was  by  such  a  process  that  the  Greek  became  the 
first  of  tongues  as  well  written  as  spoken," 

Let  the  reader  peruse  the  following  lines  by  the 
Rev.  W.  Mitchel,  and  it  will  be  strange  if  their  ex- 
quisite pathos  does  not  make  him  think  kindly  of  the 
tongue  of  old  Scotland  : 


Clan  Dickson  Families.  1 79 

It's  a  bonnie,  bonnie  wad' 

That  we're  livin'  in  the  noo, 
An'  bricht  an'  sunny  is  the  Ian' 

We  aften  traivcl  throo  ; 
But  in  vain  we  look  for  something, 

To  which  cor  herts  may  cling, 
For  its  beauty  is  as  naething 

To  the  palace  o'  the  King. 
We  like  the  gilded  simmer, 

Wi'  its  merry,  merry  tread, 
An'  we  sigh  when  hoary  winter 

Lays  its  beauties  wi'  the  dead  ; 
For  though  bonnie  are  the  snaw-flakes. 

An'  the  down  on  winter's  wing, 
It's  fine  to  ken  it  daurna  touch 

The  palace  o'  the  King. 
Then  again,  I've  juist  been  thinkin, 

That  when  a'thing  here's  sae  bricht. 
The  sun  in  a'  its  grandeur, 

An'  the  mune  wi'  quiverin'  licht; 
The  ocean  i'  the  simmer. 

Or  the  woodland  i'  the  spring, 
What  maun  it  be  up  yonner 

r  the  palace  o'  the  King  ! 
It's  here  we  hae  oor  trials. 

An'  it's  here  that  He  prepares 
A'  His  chosen  for  the  raiment    . 

Which  the  ransomed  sinner  wears  ; 
An'  it's  here  that  He  wad  hear  us 

'Mid  oor  tribulations  sing, 
"  We'll  trust  oor  God  wha  reigneth 

r  the  palace  o'  the  King." 
Oh,  it's  honour  heaped  on  honour 

That  His  courtiers  should  be  ta'en 
Frae  the  wand'rin'  anes  He  died  for 

r  this  warl'  o'  sin  an'  pain  ; 
An'  it's  fu'est  love  and  service 

That  the  Christian  aye  should  bring 
To  the  feet  o'  Him  wha  reigneth 

r  the  palace  o'  the  King. 


i8o  Cla7t  Dickson  Families. 

The  time  for  sawin'  seed 

It  is  wearin',  wearin'  dune; 
An'  the  time  for  winnin'  souls 

Will  be  ower  verra  sune  : 
Then  let  us  a'  be  active, 

If  a  fruitfu'  sheaf  we'd  bring 
To  adorn  the  royal  table 

r  the  palace  o'  the  King. 
An'  lat  us  trust  Him  better 

Than  we've  ever  dune  afore, 
For  the  King  will  feed  His  servants 

Frae  His  ever  bounteous  store; 
Let  us  keep  a  closer  grip  o'  Him, 

For  time  is  on  the  wing. 
An'  sune  He'll  come  and  tak'  us 

Tae  the  palace  o'  the  King. 
Its  iv'ry  halls  are  bonnie 

Upon  which  the  rainbows  shine, 
An'  its  Eden  bowers  are  trellised 

Wi'  a  never-fadin'  Vine  ; 
An'  the  pearly  gates  o'  Heaven 

Do  a  glorious  radiance  fling 
On  the  starry  floor  that  shimmers 

r  the  palace  o'  the  King. 
Nae  nicht  shall  be  in  Heaven, 

An'  nae  desolatin'  sea, 
An'  nae  tyrant  hoofs  shall  trample 

r  the  city  o'  the  free ; 
There's  an  everlastin'  daylicht, 

An'  a  never-fadin'  spring. 
Where  the  Lamb  is  a'  the  glory 

r  the  palace  o'  the  King. 
We  see  oor  fr'ens  await  us 

Ower  yonner  at  His  gate; 
Then  lat  us  a'  be  ready, 

For  ye  ken  it's  gettin'  late; 
Lat  oor  lamps  be  brichtly  burnin' ; 

Lat  us  raise  oor  voice  an'  sing ; 
For  sune  we'll  meet  to  pairt  nae  mair, 

r  the  palace  o'  the  King ! 


HOMER  DIXON  FAMILY, 

WITH  SOME  NOTICES  OF  FAMILIES  OF 

COCKBURN,  DALLAS,  FRASER,  HOWARD,  HO- 
MER, MAYNE,  McKEIGE,  PENNAZZI,  ROBIN- 
SON AND  SMITH. 


PREAMBLE, 

NOW   TRANSFERRED   TO   TfilS 

SECOND  PART. 

As  I  am  now  over  three  score,  and  all  my  children 
are  minors,  I  will  commit  to  writing  some  account  of 
my  family,  in  case  when  I  am  gone  some  of  my 
children  should  take  an  interest  in  the  matter ;  a 
subject  which,  I  regret  to  say,  neither  my  father  nor 
my  grandfather  cared  about. 

My  grandfather,  who  was  an  only  son,  left  home 
when  a  young  man,  and  was  thrice  burned  out,  viz.: 
twice  in  the  city  of  Westminster  and  once  in  Ostend  ; 
besides  which  his  houses,  both  in  Ostend  and  Flush- 
ing, were  sacked  by  French  troops.  One  of  the  fires 
in  England  occurred  before  the  year  1786,  when  he 
and  his  wife  were  in  the  country,  and  it  was  at  this 
time  all  his  papers  were  lost,  and  he  had  had  one  or 
two  family  lawsuits  before  this  date. 

He  married  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  resided 
twenty  years  in  Westminster,  and  then  went  to  the 
Continent  in  1788;  and  when  his  widow  died  in 
1824,  the  silver  plate,  etc.,  and  a  box  of  papers  was 
sent  to  us  in  Boston,  but  the  latter  was  consigned  to 
the  cellar,  and  I  remember  cutting  up  some  of  the 
parchments  to   strengthen    my  kites,  which    almost 


184  Homer  Dickson  Fainily, 

every  boy  played  with  in  those  days.  Some  years 
after  I  overhauled  the  box  again  and  found  only  a 
few  papers  left,  principally  referring  to  General 
Fraser. 

When  my  grandfather  removed  to  Ostend  my 
father  was  only  seven  years  old.  The  first  French 
Revolution  broke  out  four  years  after,  in  1 792,  and 
soon  after  the  French  invaded  the  Austrian  Nether- 
lands, and  England  and  France  were  at  war ;  and 
from  that  time,  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
there  were  no  mails  nor  hardly  any  communication 
between  the  two  countries,  except  by  fishing  boats 
and  smugglers,  until  1815,  when  my  grandparents 
were  not  far  from  four  score,  and  too  old  to  think  of 
returning  home.  My  father  went  to  England  in 
18 14,  and  remained  about  a  year,  principally  in  Lon- 
don, but  all  his  relations  of  his  own  name  were  then 
dead. 

Henry  Dickson,  born  circa  A.  D.  171 2,  married 
and  had  issue  (i)  William,  born  in  Dunblane,  county 
Perth,  Scotland,  in  1737,  died  young;  (2)  Thomas, 
of  whom  next,  (3)  Margaret,  born  1740,  died  young; 
(4)  Margaret,  born  1 744.     The  only  son, 

Thomas  Dickson  or  Dixon  was  born  in  Dunblane, 
Nov.  6,  1739,  "^^^  married  at  Inveraray,  in  1762, 
Elizabeth  Mann  (born  1738),  daughter  of  Alexander 
Mann  or  Mayne,  of  Renny,  county  Ross,  by  his  wife 
Katharine,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  John  Fraser,  Master 


Homer  Dickson  Family.  185 

of    Lovat,*   second    son    of    Thomas    Fraser,    Lord 
Lovat,  Chief  of  the  Clan  Fraser. 


MANN  (  ^^'"  Walter  Maign,  Knight,  is  the  first 
-<  of  this  family  on  record.  He  had  a 
'  t  charter  of  lands  in  Aberdeenshire 
in  1370,  and  from  him  descended  families  of  the 
name,  written  also  Mayne,  Mane,  Main  and  Mann 
who  settled  in  the  shires  of  Aberdeen,  Forfar,  Perth, 
etc.  MIchaelis  de  Mane  is  mentioned  in  a  Charter 
of  King  Robert  III  (1390-1406).  They  may  have 
been  of  Norman  origin  from  the  province  so  called. 

Alexander  K.  Main  of  Renny  or  Rhynie  (House), 
county  Ross,  died  in  1735,  and  was  buried  at  Fearn 
in  the  same  county.      He  was  father  of 

Alexander  Mann  of  Renny,  born  1706,  died  1802, 
aged  96.  He  is  called  an  Officer  in  the  Army,  and 
was  probably  a  subaltern  in  one  of  the  Independent 
Companies  raised  in  1  730,  as  his  wife's  uncle,  Simon 
Lord  Lovat,  who  was  Lord  Lieutenant  of  the  county 
of  Inverness,  was  Captain  of  the  first  company  (there 
was  no  higher  rank),  and  the  privates  were  almost 
all  of  them  men  of  good  families,  many  of  whom  had 
joined  as  the  carrying  of  arms  had  been  prohibited, 
and  this  service  relieved  them  of  that  law. 


*  Master  in  the  Highlands  is  the  title  of  the  eldest  son  of  the 
chief,  or  of  the  eldest  brother  if  the  chief  has  no  son. 
24 


1 86  Homer  Dickson  Family. 

General  Stewart  of  Garth,  in  his  "  Highlanders  of 
Scotland,"  says  five  of  these  privates  dined  and  slept 
at  his  father's  house  at  Garth,  and  the  following; 
morning  they  rode  off  (although  infantry)  in  their 
usual  dress,  a  tartan  jacket  and  truis,  ornamented 
with  gold  lace  embroidery,  or  twisted  cords,  as  was 
the  fashion  of  the  time,  while  their  servants  carried 
their  military  clothing  and  firelocks. 

There  were  six  of  these  companies  and  a  captaincy 
was  considered  equal  to  a  lieutenant-colonelcy  in  the 
line.  Each  company  wore  the  family  tartan  of  its 
captain,  but  when  regimented  a  dark  tartan  was 
given-  them,  and  they  were  then  called  the  Black 
Watch,  in  distinction  from  the  scarlet-coated  troops 
of  the  line,  who  were  known  in  the  Highlands  as  the 
Red  Soldiers.  They  were  embodied  in  a  regiment, 
against  all  law,  in  1 740,  at  which  they  were  very  in- 
dignant and  mutinied,  but  order  was  soon  restored, 
and  they  were  sent  to  Flanders  where  they  took 
part  in  the  battle  of  Fontenoy.  Mr.  Mann  was  in 
this  engagement  but  retired  soon  after.  The  family 
was  not  a  Rosshire  one.  I  think  I  heard  that  they 
came  from  Nairnshire. 


PRASER  (  Gilbert    de    Fraser   was   living   temp. 
Alexander  I  (i  107-1 124),  and  was  an- 
cestor of  (I.)    Sir  Simon  Fraser,  the 
friend   and  companion   of  Wallace  and   Bruce,  who 


FAMILY. 


Homer  Dickson  Family.  187 

was  taken  prisoner  by  the  savage  monarch  Edward 
I.,  and  executed  together  with  Wallace  in  1306; 
(II.)  Sir  Alexander  Eraser,  who  married  the  Princess 
Mary,  sister  of  King  Robert  Brace,  and  was  killed 
in  1332,  and  (III.)  Simon  Eraser  of  Inverness,  first 
Chief  of  the  Clan  Eraser,  who  took  from  him  their 
Gaelic  name  of  MacShimi,  or  Sons  of  Simon.  He 
also  was  killed  in  battle  in  1332.  His  grandson, 
Hugh  Eraser,  was  the  first  Lord  Lovat.  The  seventh 
Lord  married  a  dauQ-hter  and  heiress  of  the  Earl  of 
Athol,  at  whose  death  s.  p.  m.,  King  James  VI. 
offered  the  Earldom  to  the  late  Earl's  nephew  Simon 
eighth  Lord  Lovat,  and  the  King's  Privy  Councillor, 
who  however  declined  it  ''  as  a  sinking  of  his  own 
title  of  Lord  Lovat." 

Simon  Lord  Lovat,  decapitated  in  1 747,  has  been 
painted  by  the  Hanoverian  party  in  the  blackest 
colors,  but  he  was  no  worse  than  many  of  his  con- 
temporaries, English  as  well  as  Scotch. 

Doublefacedness  was  by  no  means  uncommon 
among  the  ruling  families,  and  with  all  his  faults 
Lovat  was  not  to  be  contrasted  with  many  whom  the 
country  were  delighted  to  honor. '^' 


*  As,  for  instance,  John  Churchill,  of  whom  historians  sa)^  that 
he  was  an  "almost  indescribably  profligate  statesman;  a  lover  of 
pelf;  as  miserly  as  he  was  rapacious.  He  recoiled  before  no  infa- 
mous action  when  he  had  a  purpose  to  serve.  He  was  the  favorite 
of  two  King-s,  both  of  whom  he  shamelessly  betrayed.  For  years 
he  dabbled  in  army  contracts,  and  meanly  swindled  the  State  by 
drawing  the  pay  of  soldiers  who  were  dead  " — and  he  was  created 
Duke  of  Marlborough! 


1 88  Homer  Dickson  Family. 

By  the  Jacobites,  who  judged  him  by  his  good 
qualities,  he  was  called  "  The  Last  of  the  Martyrs." 
He  is  too  often  judged  by  his  portrait,  or  rather 
caricature  of  an  old  man  of  eighty,  for  Hogarth  knew 
what  the  mob  wanted,  and  painted  a  picture  that 
would  sell !  Lovat's  portrait  by  Le  Clerc,  painted 
about  the  year  1715,  shows  him  to  have  been  then  a 
fine  looking  man.  He  preferred  Prince  Charley  (the 
gallant  young  Chevalier,  as  he  was  then  ;  not  the  dis- 
appointed man  of  later  years,  who  might  almost  have 
been  compared  to  the  fourth  George)  to  the  house  of 
Hanover,  and  who  can  wonder.  Not  that  the  Stuart 
was  perfect ;  but  what  were  the  Georges  ?  Any  other 
but  a  George  would  have  pardoned  an  old  man  of  four 
score,  or  at  least  have  left  him  to  die  a  natural  death 
in  prison.  Lovat  was  so  weak  that  he  was  brought 
down  from  Scotland  in  a  litter,  and  so  feeble  that  two 
men  had  to  help  him  up  to  the  scaffold.''^" 

John  Fraser,  master  of  Lovat,  was  born  at  Tan- 
ich,  Urray,  county  Ross,  circa  1674.  The  record  of 
his  marriage  is  lost,  but  my  cousin,  the  late  Capt. 
Thomas  Fraser  of  Balnain  (who  served  during  the 
Peninsular  War,   but    retired    in   181 5,  and  died   in 


*  After  the  battle  of  Culloden,  King  George's  second  son,  the 
bloody  Duke  of  Cumberland,  also  styled  the  Butcher,  gave  orders 
to  kill  all  the  wounded;  and  not  only  were  the  fugitive  Jacobites 
slain  without  mercy,  but  the  wounded  were  knocked  on  the  head 
like  so  many  cattle,  and  this  not  in  the  heat  of  the  battle,  but  in  the 
days  that  followed  it.  A  number  had  huddled  together  into  a  barn, 
and  it  was  set  on  fire  as  the  easiest  way  of  getting  rid  of  them,  while 
strings  of  helpless  captives  were  fusiladcd  without  mercy. 


Homer  Dickson  Family.  1 89 

i860),  believed  that  he  married  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Alexander  Fraserof  Balnain  by  his  wife,  a  daughter 
of  Fraser  of  Foyers. 

The  Hon.  John  Fraser  was  a  consistent  Jacobite  to 
the  last,  and  often  resided  in  France.  When  in  Scot- 
land he  bore  assumed  names,  as  John  MacOmas  (son 
of  Thomas),  John  Dubh,  or  Dhu  (dark  haired  orcom- 
plexioned),  and  John  Corsan,  which  was  necessary  as 
he  was  outlawed,  for  he  was  a  faithful  adherent  of 
both  the  old  and  the  young  Chevalier.  To  check 
pursuit  or  to  prevent  suspicion,  therefore.  Lord  Lovat 
always  gave  out  that  his  brother  John  was  dead. 

The  Frasers  of  Balnain  were  cadets  of  Erchitt, 
who  in  their  turn  were  descended  from  the  house  of 
Farraline,  the  oldest  offshoot  of  the  house  of  Lovat. 
The  youngest  son  of  above  Alexander  was  Brig. 
General  Simon  Fraser  younger  of  Balnain,  who  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Saratoga  in  1 777.  He  was  the 
officer  who  answered  the  challenge  of  the  sentry  at 
Quebec  in  French,  and  made  him  believe  the  troops 
who  scaled  the  Heights  of  Abraham  were  the  French 
Regiment  de  la  Reine.  They  were  suddenly  chal- 
lenged, but  Fraser,  who  had  been  educated  in  France 
and  spoke  the  language  fluently,  without  losing  his 
presence  of  mind  exclaimed,  "  Hold  your  tongue,  you 
fool,  have  you  seen  the  English?"  The  sentry  not 
being  able  in  the  dark  to  distinguish  the  uniforms 
and  fearing  to  offend  one  of  his  own  officers  hes- 
itated before  demanding  the  countersign,  and  in  that 
moment  his  musket  was  seized  before  he  could  fire 


190  Homer  Dickson  Fautily. 

and  give  the  alarm.  A  few  years  after  at  Saratoga 
the  American  General  perceiving  that  General  Bur- 
goyne  (who  was  afterwards  court-martialled)  had  lost 
his  head,  called  two  of  his  best  riflemen  and  said, 
"  You  see  that  brave  officer  on  the  white  horse.  It 
goes  against  my  heart  to  do  it,  but  you  must  pick 
him  off  or  we  lose  the  battle."  They  succeeded, 
and  the  Americans  won  the  day,  Fraser  being  the 
second  in  command  under  Burgoyne. 


Elizabeth  Dixon,  nee  Mann,  was  goddaughter  of 
John,  fourth  Duke  of  Argyle,  and  generally  spoke  of 
him  as  her  uncle,  his  sister  having  married  her  grand- 
uncle  Simon  Lord  Lovat  in  1733.  She  told  my 
mother  in  Amsterdam  that  the  Duke  was  very  kind 
to  her,  and  that  she  had  been  a  guest  more  than  once 
at  Inveraray  Castle.  The  Duke  was  Hereditary 
Grand  Master  of  the  Household  in  Scotland,  and 
had  some  influence  also  in  England,  for  there  was  a 
vacant  office  at  St.  James',  which  he  offered,  but  it 
required  residence  at  or  near  the  Palace,  and  my 
grandfather  who  did  not  like  Court  life,  declined  it. 

My  grandfather  was  a  very  kind-hearted  man  and 
was  robbed  by  his  friends  (  ! ),  and  decided  to  go  to 
the  continent  where  living  was  much  cheaper.  About 
this  time  however  (1786)  my  grandmother's  uncle. 
General  Thomas  Fraser,  died  in  London.  This  was 
Brig.  General  Thomas  Fraser,  Lieut-Colonel  of  the 


Homer  Dicksoii  Family.  191 

Royals  and  Lieut-Governor  of  Chester,  and  pre- 
viously Lieut.-Governor  of  the  Island  of  St.  Christo- 
pher, who  died  Nov.  5,  17S6,  a  bachelor,  aged  75, 
and  was  buried  in  the  Church  of  St.  Martin's-in-the- 
Fields.  His  tombstone  is  still  in  the  crypt  bearing 
all  the  above  titles,  and  at  the  foot  the  words,  "  E. 
Dixon,  lapid.  libens  posttUy 

Durino:  his  last  illness  the  General  ordered  his  ser- 
vant  to  send  for  his  niece,  my  grandmother,  as  he 
wished  to  eive  his  Commission  as  Lieut-Colonel 
(then  worth  ^4,000  or  ^5,000)  to  my  father,  for 
whose  benefit  it  could  have  been  sold  as  it  was  usual 
then  to  dispose  of  them,  even  on  death  beds.  The 
servant  however  said  that  our  family  had  already 
left  the  country,  and  no  sooner  was  his  master  dead 
than  he  ran  off  with  about  one  thousand  pounds  in 
money  and  the  most  valuable  effects.  Officers  were 
sent  after  him  and  recovered  the  gold  watch  (which 
I  still  possess)  and  about  ^250  in  money  which  was 
all  he  had  left  My  grandparents  were  however 
only  out  of  town  and  were  not  aware  of  his  death 
until  one  of  his  brother  officers,  a  General,  came 
down  to  offer  Five  thousand  pounds  for  the  Prize 
money  due  the  estate,  as  Gen.  Eraser  was  one  of 
the  commanding  officers  at  the  capture  of  St  Eus- 
tatius  in  1781,  where  the  prize  money  was  estimated 
at  Four  millions,  and  his  share,  which  had  not  been 
distributed,  was  valued  at  Twenty  thousand  pounds. 
The  offer  was  of  course  refused.  My  grandmother 
took  out  Letters  of  Administration   Dec.  29,  1786, 


192  Homer  Dickson  Family. 

soon  after  which  sundry  claimants  appeared,  and  she 
had  to  oppose  quite  a  number,  and  after  gaining  her 
case  before  the  Courts  of  London  and  Edinburgh 
found  she  had  expended  nearly  all  she  had  received 
from  the  General's  bankers,  etc.  At  this  time  a  new- 
claimant  appeared,  and  by  bad  advice  of  her  proctors 
she  gave  up  some  papers  which  were  afterwards 
withheld,  and  she  was  prevented  from  recovering  the 
Prize  money  which  was  placed  in  Chancery, 

When  my  father  was  in  England  in  1841,  I  per- 
suaded him  to  look  up  this  affair.  He  learnt  then 
that  early  in  the  present  century,  I  think  he  said  in 
1806,  a  certain  Major  Eraser  of  Newton  laid  claim 
to  this  sum,  and  as  our  family  were  then,  as  it  were, 
locked  up  on  the  Continent,  and  ignorant  of  what 
was  going  on,  as  there  were  then  no  mails  between 
England  and  the  Continent,  so  that  even  if  adver- 
tised they  never  heard  of  it,  and  there  was,  therefore, 
no  one  to  oppose  him,  he  succeeded  in  establishing 
his  claim  and  the  money  was  paid  over  to  him. 

About  January,  1788,  my  grandparents  went  to 
Ostend,  then  a  much  more  important  place  than  at 
present.  In  1792,  the  Erench  Revolution  broke  out, 
and  not  lono-  after  the  Erench  invaded  the  Austrian 
Netherlands,  now  called  Belgium.  Mr.  Dixon  had 
invested  some  money  in  real  estate  which  he  could 
not  sell,  and  was  afraid  to  leave  the  country  for  fear 
it  would  be  confiscated.  He,  however,  raised  as 
much  money  as  he  could  and  gave  it  to  his  wife  who, 
with  her  son  Thomas  (my  father),  went  to  England, 


Homer  Dickson  Family.  193 

where  she  invested  some  of  her  money.  Strange  to 
say,  I  found  a  certificate  for  part  of  it  between  the 
leaves  of  an  old  book.  It  is  a  printed  government 
certificate  or  receipt  for  ^1,089  sterling,  received  of 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Mann  to  pay  for  ^1,800  consols,  dated 
July  22,  1796.  The  receipt  is  in  her  maiden  name, 
but  Scotch  women  often  retained  their  maiden  name 
after  marriage.  It  appears  she  bought  consols  at 
about  sixty  for  one  hundred.  During  the  mutiny 
at  the  Nore,  however,  the  year  following,  they  went 
down  to  ^45,  the  lowest  point  ever  reached.  Mrs. 
Dixon  was  afterward  allowed  to  return  to  Ostend  to 
join  her  husband. 

The  French  had  entered  the  city  the  day  after  she 
left,  and  Mr.  Dixon  was  soon  imprisoned  and  re- 
mained confined  some  weeks,  until  his  Belgian  friends 
obtained  his  liberty  by  giving  bonds  that  he  should 
not  leave  the  country.  On  his  release,  he  found  his 
house  had  been  taken  possession  of  by  General 
Beaufort  with  his  wife  and  about  fifteen  officers  and 
servants,  and  with  difficulty  obtained  permission  to 
occupy  an  upper  room  in  his  own  house !  Not  long 
after  the  house  caught  fire  and  was  entirely  consumed, 
and  moreover  the  French  general  claimed  damages, 
conceiving  the  fault  to  have  been  in  the  chimney,  for 
which  he  claimed  that  Mr.  Dixon,  as  owner,  was 
liable  !  And  yet,  as  before  stated,  the  general  had 
quartered  himself  there,  and  of  course  without  pay- 
ing rent.  The  case  was  tried  before  the  Tribunal  of 
25 


194  Homer  Dickson  Family. 

Bruges,  and  Mr.  Dixon  gained  it,  but  had  to  pay  his 
own  costs. 

I  have  an  official  copy  of  the  decree  of  court : 
"  Citoyen  Beaufort,  General  de  Division  et  Adelaide 
Barthelemy  David  son  epouse  vs.  Citoyen  Thomas 
Dixon,"  dated  Bruges,  21  Vendemiaire  I'an  6,"  i.  e., 
A.  D.  1798. 

There  were  no  Monsieurs  in  those  days.  It  was 
Citizen  Dixon,  and  even  the  general  was  Citizen 
Beaufort. 

Mr.  Dixon  was  continually  called  upon  to  pay 
"  emprunts  forces,"  or  forced  loans,  and  threatened 
with  the  guillotine  if  he  refused.  As  a  foreigner 
he  was  not  spared,  and  was  supposed  as  an  English- 
man to  be  rich.  During  these  troublous  times,  he 
was  again  imprisoned,  and  was  several  times  threat- 
ened with  the  guillotine. 

About  the  year  1803,  he  removed  to  Flushing  to 
be  near  his  son  Thomas,  who  was  then  engaged  in 
business  there,  principally  with  the  West  Indies. 
He  remained  there  until  18 18,  when  he  went  to 
Amsterdam,  where  he  died  in  1824,  aged  nearly  85, 
and  his  widow  died  in  1826,  aged  87.  My  father 
was  then  in  Boston,  and  could  not  leave  his  wife  and 
four  young  children  for  an  indefinite  period,  especi- 
ally as  it  was  in  the  days  of  slow  sailing  vessels,  when 
a  voyage  of  two  and  even  three  months  was  not 
uncommon.  His  parents  were,  however,  carefully 
attended  to  by  their  eldest  son's  widow.  They  had 
twelve  children,  all  of  whom  pre-deceased  them  ex- 


Homer  Dickson  Family.  195 

cepting  only  the  youngest  son.  Nine  died  young. 
The  eldest  son, 

1.  Henry  Dixon,  born  in  Westminster  in  1768, 
was  imprisoned  two  or  three  times  by  the  French, 
and  his  sufferings  so  undermined  his  constitution 
that  he  died  of  consumption.  He  married  Sarah 
Watkinson  and  died  in  Ostend  in  1802,  leaving  an 
only  son,  Henry,  who  died  coelebs  at  Manilla,  E.  I., 
in  1823. 

2.  Thomas,  of  whom  next. 

3.  Elizabeth,  born  in  Westminster  in  1766,  married 

Eaton,   of  Craven  St.,   Charing  Cross  (then  a 

fashionable  West-end  quarter),  and  died  in  1790, 
leaving  an  only  daughter,  Charlotte,  born  1787,  died 
in  Ostend,  1799,  aged  12  years. 

Thomas  Dickson,  who  altered  the  spelling  of  his 
name  to  Dixon,  was  succeeded  by  his  only  surviving 
son 

Thomas  Dixon,  Knight  of  the  Order  of  the  Neth- 
erlands Lion  and  of  the  Order  of  the  Lily,  born 
Westminster,  Jan.  26,  1781.  He  accompanied  his 
parents  to  the  Netherlands,  and  when  about  fifteen 
years  old  a  commission  in  the  British  Army  was  sent 
to  him  by  Sir  Henry  Dundas,  afterwards  Viscount 
Melville,  then  Secretary  of  State,  but  it  was  inter- 
cepted by  the  French  Police  and  he  was  imprisoned 
and  sentence  of  death  passed  upon  him,  but  a  Law 
had  lately  been  passed  that   no   executions  should 


196  Homer  Dickson  Family. 

take  place  in  the  Departments  unless  countersigned 
by  the  Minister  of  Police  in  Paris,  and  by  the  for- 
tunate changes  of  Ministers  of  Police  —  three  changes 
in  about  as  many  months  —  and  the  intercession  of 
his  father's  friends,  he  was  released  upon  bail  that  he 
should  not  leave  the  country. 

In  1800,  he  left  Ostend  for  Flushing,  then  like  the 
former  place  a  much  more  important  city  than  now, 
and  went  into  business. 

While  there  another  letter  to  him  from  England 
was  seized  by  the  Police.  He  had  assisted  a  friend 
and  fellow-countryman  to  escape,  and  this  gentleman 
on  his  safe  arrival  in  England  unwisely  wrote  a  letter 
of  thanks,  giving  it  to  the  captain  of  the  smuggler 
who  had  taken  him  over.  This  skipper  was  like 
most  of  them,  doubly  a  spy,  taking  pay  both  from 
English  and  French,  and  after  undoubtedly  first 
opening  the  letter  to  see  that  he  himself  was  not  im- 
plicated, he  gave  it  to  the  French  Police.  Mr.  Dixon 
was  arrested  and  only  escaped  by  bribing  the  Chief 
of  Police  with  a  purse  of  Fifty  Napoleons  or  One 
thousand  francs. 

A  few  years  after  this  he  petitioned  the  British 
Government  for  reimbursement  of  certain  losses,  and 
among  sundry  certificates  which  he  then  procured 
was  one  which  referred  to  the  year  1804,  and  which 
I  copy  here  : — 

"This  is  to  certify  that  in  the  year  1804,  I  com- 
manded the  British  brig  called  the  'Eve,'  of  North 
Yarmouth    was  captured  in  the    North   Sea  by  the 


Homer  Dickson  Family.  197 

French  privateer  the  Admiral  Bruix,  and  was  con- 
ducted into  Flushing,  where,  immediately  on  my 
arrival,  Mr.  Thomas  Dixon,  merchant  at  Flushing, 
rescued  me  from  on  board  the  privateer,  conducted 
me  to  his  own  house  and  kept  me  there  in  private 
for  three  weeks,  after  which  he  conducted  me  on 
board  a  Dutch  schuit  going  to  Rotterdam,  which  put 
me  on  shore  at  Brouwershaven,  according-  to  the 
directions  of  Mr.  Dixon,  with  letters  of  recommen- 
dation to  his  friends  there,  who  procured  me  a  pas- 
sage over  to  England  immediately. 

"All  which  services  Mr.  Dixon  did  gratuitously,  and 
even  furnished  me  with  ten  pounds  in  money,  as 
when  Mr.  Dixon  rescued  me  out  of  the  privateer  all 
I  possessed  was  a  few  shillings,  which  I  had  previ- 
ously communicated  to  Mr.  Dixon.  It  is  and  was 
well  known  that  Mr.  Dixon  frequently  assisted  other 
British  masters  in  the  same  way,  for  which  every 
British  subject  ought  to  be  acknowledging  to  him. 
"  Spencer  Scott, 
"  Master  of  the  Brig  Liberty  of  this  place."* 

Between  the  years  1798  and  1807,  he  rescued  from 
different  prisons  between  thirty  and  forty  English 
captains  and  seamen,  and  procured  their  passages 
home  at  his  own  expense,  and  at  great  risk  to  him- 
self had  it  been  found  out. 

In  1808,  he  was  appointed  Magistrate  of  the  city 
of    Flushing,    and   when    King    Louis    (Bonaparte) 

*  Mr.  Dixon's  friends  probably  bribed  some  smuggler  or  fisher- 
man to  give  Capt.  Scott  a  passage  to  England. 


198  Homer  Dickson  Family. 

visited  the  city  he  had  the  honor  of  a  long  conversa- 
tion with  him,  and  accompanied  him  on  horseback 
around  the  batteries,  navy  yard,  etc. 

When  the  Island  of  Walcheren  was  taken  by  the 
English  in  1809,  he  was  ordered  to  continue  in  ofhce 
by  the  Earl  of  Chatham,  Commander-in-Chief,  and 
when  the  English  evacuated  the  city  he  was  con- 
tinued in  office. 

When  the  Emperor  Napoleon  visited  Flushing  in 
May,  1 8 10,  he  presented  to  him  the  keys  of  the  city 
and  subsequently  delivered  an  address  as  Chairman 
of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  ;  but  on  the  day  fol- 
lowing (May  12),  was  arrested  by  special  order  of 
the  Emperor,  taken  to  Paris  and  confined  as  an 
"  Otage  Hollandais"  (Dutch  Hostage)  in  the  Prison 
La  Force,  where  he  remained  more  than  fifteen 
months,  three  of  which  was  in  a  dungeon,  charged 
with  having  served  the  English  during  the  occupa- 
tion of  Walcheren,  until  by  the  unceasing  efforts  of 
his  friends  van  Royen,  Bijleveld  and  Baron  van 
Doom,  Depiites  de  la  Hollande,  Bruys  de  Charly, 
Deputy  of  the  Department  of  the  Saone  and  Loire  ; 
Reverchon,  old  Member  of  the  Council  of  Five  Hun- 
dred, and  Count  Emmery,  Senator,  he  was  released 
from  prison  and  sent  into  exile  at  Macon  in  Bur- 
gundy, sous  caution  et  surveillance.  He  was,  more- 
over, ordered  to  sell  all  his  property  in  Holland  and 
re-invest  it  in  Burgundy,  he  being  exiled  there  for 
life,  as  legal  copies  of  all  the  documents  still  in  my 
possession  will  prove. 


Homer  Dickson  Family.  199 

The  Deputy  (or,  as  we  should  say,  Member  of 
Parliament)  Bruys  de  Charly  gave  him  letters  to  the 
Baron  de  Roujoux,  Prefect  of  the  Department  of 
the  Saone  and  Loire,  and  to  others  in  Macon,  and 
although  my  father  did  not  say  so  in  his  memoirs 
(privately  printed),  still  I  think  that  Count  Emmery 
must  also  have  introduced  him  both  to  the  Governor 
and  to  a  brother  Senator,  as  in  a  letter  dated  Paris, 
28  Xbre,  181 1,  he  says:  "Dans  votre  Prefet,  dans 
un  de  mes  Collegues,  vous  avez  la  des  protecteurs 
excellent." 

The  Prefect  invited  him  to  dine  once  a  week  regu- 
larly and  gave  him  invitations  to  all  his  assemblies, 
and  they  were  all  very  kind  to  him.  He  was  an  ex- 
cellent whist-player  and  frequently  took  a  hand  at 
the  Prefect's  own  table,  so  that  he  became  quite  inti- 
mate with  him,  and  therefore  passed  the  time  not 
unpleasantly,  except  that  as  he  was  an  exile,  he  had 
no  passport  and  could  not  go  beyond  the  city,  for 
the  country  swarmed  with  gendarmes  (military  po- 
lice) who  would  have  demanded  his  passport,  and 
not  having  the  same  he  would  have  been  arrested 
and  again  imprisoned. 

At  length  after  two  and  a  half  years,  in  January, 
1 8 14,  the  Baron  sent  for  him  at  ten  o'clock  at  night, 
and  saying  that  he  trusted  to  his  honor,  for  if  the 
Emperor  heard  of  it  he  would  be  undone,  told  him 
that  the  German  Army  would  soon  be  in  Macon  and 
all  the  exiles  and  Spanish  officers,  prisoners  of  war, 
were  to  be  removed  into  the  interior  the  next  morn- 


200  Homer  Dickson  Family. 

ing.  That  this  was  his  only  chance  of  escape,  and 
from  his  friendly  feelings  towards  him  he  could  not 
bear  to  think  of  his  being  marched  off  by  the  gen- 
darmes, and  advised  him  to  change  his  lodgings, 
promising  not  to  order  a  particular  search. 

The  next  day,  from  his  place  of  concealment,  an 
attic  of  an  unoccupied  house,  he  beheld  the  prisoners 
marched  off,  and  the  following  morning  saw  the 
Douaniers  (officers  of  customs)  running  away.  He 
then  ventured  out  and  met  a  detachment  of  Austrian 
Hussars,  told  the  Colonel  who  he  was,  and  in  reply 
was  informed  that  they  were  only  an  advanced  guard 
with  orders  to  retreat  at  the  first  resistance.  The 
Colonel  advised  him  to  take  lodgings  opposite  the 
brido-e  where  he  could  grive  him  warning.  The  next 
night  the  Colonel  sent  for  him  and  they  galloped  off, 
pnrsued  for  some  distance  by  a  French  mob,  arriving 
the  following  morning  at  Bourg  I'Ain,  the  head- 
quarters, where  the  Colonel  introduced  him  to  Gen- 
eral Count  Bubna,  Austrian  Commander-in-Chief, 
who  invited  him  to  dinner,  where  he  sat  next  to  the 
General's  aide-de-camp.  Prince  Leopold,  afterwards 
King  of  the  Belgians. 

A  few  days  later  he  arrived  at  Basle  in  Switzerland 
where  he  met  an  old  acquaintance,  the  Chevalier  de 
los  Rios,*  whom  he  had  formerly  known  at  The 
Hague,    and    who   told   him   confidentially  that  the 

*  He  was  brother  to  the  Duke  of  Fernan  Nunez,  and  was  after- 
wards Spanish  Minister  to  the  Congress  of  Vienna  in  1815.  I  have 
two  letters  from  him  written  at  Vienna  at  that  time. 


Homer  Dickson  Fmnily.  201 

King  of  France's  brother,  the  Count  d'Artois  (after- 
wards King  Charles  the  Tenth),  was  then  in  Basle 
incognito  under  the  name  of  Count  Leu,*  and  upon 
his  saying  he  might  give  the  Count  some  news  from 
Burgundy,  the  Chevalier  asked  permission  to  present 
him,  which  was  granted.  He  enjoyed  the  honor  of 
His  Royal  Highness'  acquaintance  about  eleven 
days,  and  was  able  to  give  him  much  useful  informa- 
tion, and  became  quite  intimate  with  him.  The 
Count  wrote  a  Proclamation  in  the  name  of  his 
brother  Louis  XVHL,  which  my  father  got  privately 
printed  and  contrived  to  smuggle  a  few  hundreds 
into  France.  I  have  two  copies  of  it.  He  then 
left  Basle  and  eight  days  after  arrived  at  Nijmegen, 
where  he  presented  himself  to  the  prince  of  Orange, 
afterwards  Kingf  William  of  the  Netherlands. 

Soon  after  he  arrived  at  The  Hague  and  passed 
three  months  at  the  house  of  his  friend  van  Royen, 
then  Minister  of  the  Navy,  and  until  the  island  of 
Walcheren  was  evacuated  by  the  French,  when  he 
returned  to  Flushing,  arriving  there  May  18,  18 14, 
and  was  reinstated  in  his  office  of  Magistrate. 
^__Shortly  after  the  return  of  the  Bourbons  he  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  the  Mayor  of  Macon,  who  with 
three  Deputies  had  waited  upon  King  Louis  to  con- 
gratulate him  upon  the  Restoration, —  informing  him 
that  he  had  barely  finished  his  address  when  the 
King's  brother  said  "Apropos,  you  had  a  Monsieur 
Dixon  in  exile  with  you  a  long  while.     It  was  he  who 


*  Louis  Bonaparte  afterwards  assumed  the  very  similar  name  of 
Count  de  St.  Leu. 
26 


202  Homer  Dickson  Family. 

first  informed  me  of  the  good  disposition  of  the 
Maconnais  to  the  Bourbons,  and  it  was  in  conse- 
quence of  this  assurance  that  I  showed  my  favors  to 
Macon  in  particular  on  my  return.  If  you  write 
Monsieur  Dixon  tell  him  from  me  that  I  remember 
him  with  affection." 

Not  long  after  the  Baron  de  Vinck,  a  Dutch  noble- 
man, was  presented  at  the  French  Court,  and  the 
Count  d'Artois  asked  him  if  he  knew  a  Monsieur 
Dixon  living  in  Holland,  and  upon  his  replying  in 
the  affirmative  said  if  he  would  take  charge  of  it  he 
would  send  him  a  Decoration  for  his  friend,  and 
accordingly  sent  him  the  Patent  (dated  Paris,  August 
25,  1814)  and  Decoration  of  a  Knight  of  the  Order 
of  the  Lily. 

About  this  time  King  William  visited  Flushing 
and  my  father  accompanied  him  in  a  two  hours'  walk 
about  the  fortifications,  and  was  listened  to  with 
interest  as  he  had  previously  accompanied  King 
Louis  and  the  Emperor  Napoleon  on  the  same  route. 
A  dinner  was  given  to  the  King  and  my  father  was 
seated  directly  opposite  to  H.  M.  who  sat  at  the  side 
of  the  table,  in  the  middle.  He  then  placed  his 
resignation  into  the  King's  hands  and  soon  after  went 
to  England  where  he  remained  about  a  year."^ 


*In  1839,  King  William  I.  granted  me  a  private  audience  just 
before  I  was  returning  to  Boston,  having  finished  my  education  in 
Holland.  After  a  few  words  (speaking  Dutch)  he  said  ''  But  your 
father  has  lived  here,  has  he  not,  I  forget  where  ?  "  "Yes,  Sire  (I 
replied)  he  was  in  Flushing  when  your  Majesty  first  visited  that 
city."  "  Yes  (said  the  King)  I  remember,  I  dined  with  him  there 
and  he  was  then  one  of  the  Magistrates." 


Homer  Dickson  Family.  203 

During  his  stay  in  London  he  petitioned  the  Lords 
of  the  Admiralty  to  refund  the  losses  he  had  incurred 
at  the  time  of  his  imprisonment,  amounting  to  nearly 
;!^i  5,000  sterling,  and  especially  because  he  may  be 
said  to  have  saved  the  British  fleet  from  destruction, 
the  suspicion  of  which  was  probably  one  of  the 
reasons  of  his  arrest.  Had  the  French  been  able  to 
prove  it  it  would  certainly  have  cost  him  his  head. 

The  facts  were  that  in  1809,  a  French  officer's  wife 
who  had  remained  in  Flushing  and  by  some  means 
had  obtained  the  information,  told  my  grandmother 
as  a  great  secret  that  the  French  had  prepared  fire- 
ships  in  the  Upper  Scheldt  and  intended  to  burn  the 
English  fleet.  My  father  did  not  return  home  until 
nearly  ten  o'clock  p.  m.,  when  his  mother  told  him. 
He  immediately  took  a  boat  and  went  on  board  the 
ship  of  his  friend,  Captain  Campbell,  who  without 
losine  a  moment  took  him  to  the  Commander-in- 
Chief.  The  fleet  were  then  lying  in  close  order,  but 
orders  were  immediately  given  to  weigh  anchors  and 
prepare  for  fire-ships,  and  the  French  seeing  this 
gave  up  the  undertaking. 

In  1 8 14,  Campbell,  who  was  then  a  Rear  Admiral, 
gave  him  the  following  Certificate,  endorsed  by  Vice 
Admiral  Otway : — 

"  These  are  to  certify  that,  shortly  after  the  sur- 
render of  the  town  of  Flushing  to  H.  M.  Land  and 
Sea  Forces  in  1809  (I,  at  the  time,  in  command  of 
H.  M.  Ship  Audacious)   I   became  acquainted  with 


204  Homer  Dickson  Family. 

Mr.  Thomas  Dixon,  then  merchant  and  actingf  as  one 
of  the  magistrates  of  the  said  town  of  Flushing  under 
H.  M.  Government,  and  found  him  on  all  occasions 
animated  with  the  greatest  zeal  for  the  interest  of  H. 
M.  Government  and  service,  always  furnishing  H. 
M.'s  officers  with  such  private  information  as  he 
could  collect  of  the  movements  and  plans  of  the 
enemy. 

"  On  one  occasion,  1  think  to  the  best  of  my  recol- 
lection, about  the  end  of  November  in  the  above 
lyear,  H.  M.  squadron  and  a  number  of  transports 
then  anchored  at  Flushing  roadstead,  he  gave  me  for 
the  information  of  the  Commander-in-Chief  certain 
and  correct  intelligence  that  the  enemy  were  using 
the  greatest  exertions  in  preparing  fire-craft  and  rafts 
in  the  Upper  Scheldt,  to  send  down  the  river  for  the 
annoyance,  and  if  possible,  the  destruction  of  H.  M. 
said  squadron  and  transports,  and  this  intelligence 
was  afterwards  proved  to  be  entirely  correct,  and  the 
arrangements  made  and  orders  given  in  consequence 
by  the  Commander-in-Chief  had  in  my  opinion  (and 
indeed  it  was  the  general  opinion)  alone  prevented 
the  enemy  from  putting  their  plans  in  execution. 

"Given  under  my  hand,  the.  23rd  Nov.,  18 14, 

"  D.  Campbell. 

"Rear  Admiral." 

Endorsed 

"  I  recollect  the  circumstances  as  stated  in  Rear 
Admiral   Campbell's  certificate.      The  Admiral    was 


Homer  Dickson  Family.  205 

then  Captain  of  the  Audacious  and  communicated  to 
me,  who  then  commanded  H.  M.  ships  in  the  Scheldt, 
in  the  absence  of  Sir  Richard  Strachan,  the  intelH- 
gence  of  the  enemy's  motives  and  intentions  agreea- 
bly to  information  received  from  Mr.  Thomas  Dixon. 

"  Wm.  A.  Otway, 

"Vice-Admiral." 

Vice  Admiral  Otway  also  wrote  the  following 
official  letter  to  J.  W.  Croker,  Esq.,  Secretary  of  the 
Admiralty. 

"Bath,  loth  April  181 5" 

"  Sir,— 

"  I  request  that  you  will  lay  before  the  Lords  the 
Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty,  the  enclosed  letter 
from  Rear  Admiral  Donald  Campbell,  with  the  cer- 
tificate therein  mentioned,  stating  some  important 
service  rendered  to  the  public  by  Mr.  Thomas  Dixon 
of  Flushing,  about  the  month  of  November,  1809,  ^^ 
which  time  I  commanded  the  ships  in  the  Scheldt  in 
consequence  of  the  absence  of  the  Commander-in- 
Chief  Sir  Richard  Strachan. 

"  I  have  a  perfect  recollection  of  the  circumstances 
as  stated  in  Rear  Admiral  Donald  Campbell's  letter 
and  certificate,  who  was  then  Captain  of  the  Auda- 
cious, and  I  had  no  reason  to  doubt  the  authenticity 
of  Mr.  Dixon's  intelligence ;  in  justice  to  whom  and 
at  his  particular  request  I  make  this  statement  for 
their  Lordships  to  determine  how  far  Mr.  Dixon  is 
entitled  to  any  remuneration  for  the  sufferings  he 


2o6  Homer  Dickson  Fa^nily. 

has,  according  to  his  narrative,  sustained  in  conse- 
quence of  his  attachment  to  the  British  Government. 
"  I  have  etc., 

"W.  A.  Otway, 

"Vice  Admiral." 
"J.  W.  Croker,  Esq." 

The  reply  my  father  received  was  : 

"  That  the  Board  of  Admiralty  cannot  enter  into 
such  claims  as  you  have  set  forth  unless  founded  on 
documents  forwarded  officially  to  the  Board  at  the 
time  when  such  services  may  have  been  rendered." 

This  was  shamefully  unjust,  for  the  very  docu- 
ments accompanying  these  papers  proved  that  my 
father  was  imprisoned  soon  after  this  event  and  had 
only  just  escaped  from  France,  and  even  had  he  in- 
tended originally  to  have  made  any  claim,  it  would 
have  been  then  impossible  ;  but  he  never  dreamt  of 
doing  so  at  the  time,  and  it  was  only  after  the  con- 
fiscation of  part  of  his  property  and  his  imprisonment 
that  he  thought  of  it. 

He  also  applied  for  the  post  of  British  Consul  at 
Antwerp,  then  worth  ^2,000  a  year.  General  Son- 
tag  gave  him  the  following  letter  : 

"14  Buckingham  St., 

"  30th  Nov.,  1814. 
"  Sir, 

"  Lieut-General  Sontag  being  very  dangerously  ill, 
has  desired  me  to  inform  you,  in  reply  to  your  letter 


Homer  Dickson  Family.  207 

of  24th  Inst,  that  on  hearing  the  circumstances  stated 
in  your  letter,  he  perfectly  recollected  the  very  zeal- 
ous and  useful  services  rendered  by  you,  and  the  ap- 
plause you  merited  for  the  particular  care  and  atten- 
tion you  afforded  to  the  wounded  English  prisoners 
during  the  blockade  and  siege  of  Flushing,  in  fur- 
nishing them  with  all  possible  comforts. 

"  Lieut-General  Sontag  hopes  that  this  testimony 
given  by  me  in  his  name  may  be  found  conducive 
towards  the  granting  of  your  application  for  the 
British  Consulship  at  Antwerp,  which  will  afford  him 
much  pleasure. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be.  Sir, 

"  Your  obedient  and  humble  servant. 
"  David  Ragay,  Lt.-Col. 

"Assist,  to  Lt.-General  Sontag." 
"Thomas  Dixon,  Esq." 

Earl  Bathurst,  Acting  Secretary  of  State,  promised 
the  Consulship  to  my  father,  but  Earl  Castelreagh, 
who  was  at  the  Congress  of  Vienna,  gave  it  to  the 
Hon.  Mr.  Annesley,  son  of  the  Earl  of  Annesley. 

It  will  be  observed  that  Admiral  Campbell  states 
the  certai7i  and  correct  intelliofence  was  afterwards 
proved  to  be  perfectly  correct.  My  father  said  there 
were  some  three  or  four  hundred  sail  in  the  harbor, 
great  numbers  of  which  would  have  been  destroyed 
had  it  not  been  for  his  information. 

From  Parliamentary  Papers  (papers  relating  to 
the  expedition  to  the  Scheldt,  Jan.,  1810),  it  appears 


2o8  Homer  Dickson  Family. 

that  in  July,  1809,  ^^  fleet  consisted  of  one  ship  of 
eighty  guns,  thirty-three  of  seventy-four  (one  of 
which  was  the  Audacious),  three  of  sixty-four,  twenty- 
eight  of  from  fifty  to  twenty  guns,  and  ninety  bombs, 
gunboats,  etc.  In  all  155  sailing  vessels  of  the  navy. 
On  the  nth  Oct.  the  transport  tonnage  then  in  the 
Scheldt  was  120  ships  measuring  24,265  tons,  and  in 
November  nearly  20,000  tons  of  empty  transports 
had  proceeded  to  Walcheren,  a  large  proportion  of 
which  reached  their  destination  on  the  evening:  of 
the  2ist  November. 

One  can  hardly  conceive  what  would  have  hap- 
pened had  such  a  number  of  vessels,  lying  quietly  at 
anchor  and  suspecting  nothing,  been  surprised  by  a 
fleet  of  fire-ships. 

After  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  Mr.  Dixon  returned 
to  Holland  and  joined  the  house  of  van  Baggen, 
Parker  &  Co.,  doing  business  principally  with  the 
United  States  of  America.  The  style  of  the  firm, 
which  was  of  very  old  standing,  was  changed  to  van 
Baggen,  Parker  &  Dixon.  The  following  year  he 
embarked  for  the  United  Stales  to  visit  the  corre- 
spondents of  the  firm,  traveled  through  the  country 
leisurely,  and  on  his  return  to  Boston  to  sail  for 
home,  he  became  acquainted  with  and  married  Mary 
B.,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Perrott  Homer,  Esq.,  of 
No.  i"]  Beacon  St.,  May  26,  1818. 


Homer  Dickson  Family.  209 

HOMER  (  Thomas  de  Homere,  Lord  of  the  Manor 
-<  of  Homere,  county  Dorset,  A.  D. 
■  (  1338,  is  believed  to  have  been  the 
founder  of  this  family,  especially  as  the  name  does 
not  occur  again  there  at  that  time,  and  in  the  same 
century  a  Homer  settled  at  Sedgely,  co.  Stafford,  and 
built  the  house  of  Ettingshall,  which  was  occupied  by 
the  family  until  the  last  century,  when  it  was  sold  by 
John  Homer,  who  removed  to  another  family  prop- 
erty, Bromley  Hall,  in  the  same  county,  where  he 
died  in  1788.  In  1626,  Edward  Homer  erected  a 
pew  ^'  in  the  old  church  of  Sedgley,  which  was  re- 
tained by  the  family  until  the  church  was  taken  down 
in  1829.  The  oaken  seat  of  the  pew  is  however  still 
preserved  and  bears  the  following  inscription  : 

"This  :  sete  :  setvp  :  at  :  the  :  proper  :  cost  :  and  : 
charis  :  of  :  Edward    Homer  :  anno  :  domni  :  1626." 

The  grandson  of  this  Edward  was  father  of  Captain 
John  Homer,  who  emigrated  to  Boston,  Mass.,  and 
was  ancestor  of  Mary  B.  Homer,  wife  of  Thomas 
Dixon,  to  whom  we  return. 

On  the  4th  June  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dixon  sailed  for 
England,  remained  a  month  in  London  and  then 
went  to  Paris  where  they  staid  six  weeks,  and  were 
most  kindly  received  by  the  Royal  Family,  who  only 
returned  to  the  city  the  day  before  that  on  which 

*  At  this  time  pews  were  generally  confined  to  the  lords  of  the 
manor  or  leading  families. 
27 


2IO  Homer  Dickson  Family. 

they  intended  leaving.  One  of  the  Royal  carriages 
was  sent  for  them,  and  when  introduced  into  the 
Presence  Chamber  the  Count  d'Artois  met  them  at 
the  door,  embraced  Mr.  Dixon  and  kissed  Mrs. 
Dixon,  and  then  presented  them  to  King  Louis 
XVIII.,  who  also  kissed  Mrs.  Dixon  and  shook 
hands  with  Mr.  Dixon.  The  Count  then  presented 
them  to  the  Dukes  and  Dutchesses  d'Angouleme 
and  de  Berri,  by  whom  they  were  also  most  kindly 
received.  The  Count  charged  Mr.  Dixon  to  apply 
to  him  if  ever  he  could  serve  him,  and  when  leaving 
told  them  to  make  what  use  they  pleased  of  the 
Royal  carriage.  They  accordingly  took  a  drive  in 
the  Bois  de  Boulogne  and  meeting  a  Boston  friend 
(Mr.  Joseph  Joy)  gave  him  a  seat.  This  gentle- 
man as  it  was  supposed  (although  it  was  headed 
"  Letter  from  a  lady  ")  after  his  return  home  wrote 
an  account  of  the  presentation  to  a  Boston  paper, 
and  I  have  still  the  slip  which  was  cut  out  of  the 
paper  of  April  20,  18 19. 

They  then  left  Paris  for  Flushing  to  see  their 
parents,  passed  a  week  ^at  Ypenburg,  van  Royen's 
seat,  and  then  went  to  Amsterdam  where  they  re- 
mained about  four  years,  when  Mrs.  Dixon,  desiring 
to  see  her  father,  and  Mr.  Dixon  wishing  to  make 
some  business  arrangements,  they  returned  to  Bos- 
ton, intending  to  stay  at  most  a  very  few  years,  but 
this  was  before  the  days  of  steam  when  it  was  not  so 
trifling  a  matter  to  cross  as  it  is  now,  and  as  the  old 
couple  died  in    Holland    and    Mrs.   Dixon  did    not 


Homer  Dickson  Family  211 

like  to  leave  her  father,  who  was  a  widower,  they 
remained,  until  they  finally  determined  to  settle  in 
Boston. 

On  the  death  of  the  Netherlands  Consul  in  Boston 
in  1833,  Mr.  Dixon  received  the  appointment.  There 
was  no  Consul-General  in  the  United  States  at  that 
time. 

Three  or  four  years  after  the  opening  of  steam 
navigation  on  the  Atlantic  they  crossed  again  in 
1841,  and  met  many  old  friends. 

At  The  Hague,  which  they  visited  two  or  three 
times,  the  King  created  Mr.  Dixon  Knight  of  the 
Order  of  the  Netherlands  Lion. 

Baron  van  Hall  was  then  Minister  of  Justice  and 
his  father  was  President  of  the  High  Court  of  Justice, 
and  at  a  grand  dinner  given  by  his  old  friend  van 
Royen,  uncle  to  Baron  van  Hall,  to  which  all  the 
Cabinet  were  invited,  my  father  was  placed  at  the 
host's  right  hand,  and  the  first  toast  given  which  was 
by  the  venerable  President,  was  "The  health  of  Mr. 
Dixon,  who  thirty  years  ago  saved  the  life  of  my  son, 
then  in  France  as  one  of  the  Garde  du  Corps  (Body 
Guard)  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  and  now  meet 
him  again  for  the  second  time  as  Minister  of  Justice 
of  the  Netherlands." 

They  returned  to  Boston,  where  he  died  at  his 
house  No.  I  Walnut  St.,  Corner  of  Beacon  St.,  Sep., 
15,  1849,  aged  68.  His  widow  removed  to  Toronto  on 
the  occasion  of  her  eldest  son's  marriage  in  1858,  and 
some  years  later  was  thrown  from  her  carriage,  the 


212  Homer  Dickson  Family. 

horses  having  run  away,  and  died  July  i6,  1875,  aged 

They  had  three  sons,  one  of  whom  died  unm.  in 
Paris,  and  one  dau.,  viz.: 

1.  Benjamin  Homer,  of  whom  next 

2.  Fitz  Eugene,  born  Amsterdam,  1821,  married 
Philadelphia,  1849,  Catherine  Chew,  daughter  of  the 
Hon.  George  M.  Dallas,  Vice-President  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  the  first  on  record  of  which  family 
was  Sir  William  de  Doleys,  Knight,  living  in  1 286.  In 
1442  John  de  Dolas  held  the  barony  of  Cantray. 
From  him  sprang  William  Dallas,  Laird  of  Cantray 
in  1630,  ancestor  in  the  third  degree  of  Robert  Dallas 
of  Dallas  Castle,  Jamaica,  grandfather  of  (i)  Sir 
George  Dallas,  Bart.  (2)  Sir  Robert  Dallas,  Lord 
Chief  Justice,  C.  C.  P.  (3)  Charlotte,  who  married 
Capt.  the  Hon.  George  A.  Byron,  father  of  George 
Anson,  Lord  Byron  (the  poet)  —  (4)  the  Hon.  Alex- 
ander James  Dallas,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  of  the 
United  States  of  America,  ob.  181 7,  father  of  Vice- 
President  Dallas,  who  filled  also  the  ofiices  of  Envoy 
Extraordinary  and  Minister  to  the  Court  of  the  Czar 
and  afterwards  to  the  Court  of  St.  James. 

3.  Harriette  Elizabeth  Mann,  born  Boston,  1825, 
married  1846,  William  Henry  Boulton  of  Toronto,  M. 
P.  P.,  and  Mayor  of  Toronto.  Of  the  Boultons  of 
Moulton,  county  Lincoln,  England.  He  died  1874, 
s.  p.  She  married  secondly,  Professor  Goldwin  Smith, 
D.  C.  L.,  Oxon.  of  the  Grange,  Toronto,  son  of 
Richard  Prichard  Smith,  Esq.,  M.  D.,  of  Mortimer, 


Homer  Dickson  Family.  213 

near  Reading,  England,  by  his  wife,  the  daughter  of 
William  Breton,  Esq.,  and  sister  of  Gen.  Henry  W. 
Breton,  Governor  of  Malta.  Dr.  Smith  married 
secondly,  Katherine,  daughter  of  Sir  Nathaniel 
Dukinfield,  Bart.  Of  the  Smiths  of  Hough,  county 
Chester,  and  anciently  of  Peel  House,  Farnworth, 
county  Lane.  Randle  Holme,  who  visited  Farn- 
worth church  in  1635,  mentions  a  pre-Reformation 
inscription  on  a  broken  painted  glass  window  "  Orate 
pro  Will  Smyth"  (Pray  for  William  Smyth  —  not  the 
bishop  however,  for  he  was  not  buried  there).  Robert 
Smith  of  Peel  House  was  father  of  William,  born 
circa  1460,  Lord  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  Chancellor  of 
Oxford  and  President  of  Wales  (which  had  then  a 
Parliament  of  its  own)  who  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  Brazenose  College  in  1509.  Another  son,  Sir 
Thomas,  who  removed  to  Cheshire,  was  one  of  the 
executors  of  the  bishop's  will.  He  purchased  Hough 
in  1 51 7.  His  grandson,  Sir  Thomas,  Sheriff  of 
Cheshire,  died  1614.  One  of  his  descendants  was 
cr.  a  Baronet  in  1660.  From  another  sprang  Dr. 
Smith  above  mentioned. 

We  now  return  to  the  eldest  son  of  Thomas  Dixon, 
K.  N.  L.,  K.  L. 

Benjamin  Homer  Dixon,  K.  N.  L.,  Consul-Gen- 
eral  of  the  Netherlands  in  Canada,  who  was  born  in 
Amsterdam  in  18 19.  He  was  appointed  Consul  of 
the  Netherlands  in  Boston  after  his  father's  decease, 
but  resigned  on  his  removal  to  Canada  in  1858.  He 
was  created  Knight  of  the  Order  of  the  Netherlands 


2  14  Homer  Dickson  Family. 

Lion  by   King  William   III,   and   in    1862,  was  ap- 
pointed Consul-General, 

He  married  firstly  in  Toronto,  in  1858,  Kate 
McGill,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Chief  Justice  Sir 
James  B.  Macaulay,  C.  B.,  who  d.  s.  p.  in  1865,  and 
secondly,  Nov.  29,  1866,  Frances  Caroline,  daughter 
of  William  B.  Heward,  Esq.,  of  Toronto,  and  Mary 
M.  Cockburn,  his  wife.  Frances  C.  Heward  was 
born  in  1838,  and  named  after  her  two  godmothers, 
her  mother's  aunt  Frances,  Countess  dei  Pennazzi, 
and  her  mother's  friend,  Lady  (Caroline)  Cunning- 
ham, both  of  whom  were  represented  by  proxies. 


HEWARD  1  Thomas  Heward,  Esq.,  of  Friar  Win- 
\-  gate,  county  Cumberland,  England, 
■  J  had  issue  four  sons  and  one  daughter, 
viz.:  (i)  Stephen,  of  whom  hereafter;  (2)  Thomas, 
married  and  died  s.  p.  ni.;  (3)  J.  Elder,  died  circa 
1872,  leaving  ^80,000  in  chancery.  He  had  an  only 
son  who  left  home  and  has  never  been  heard  of. 
(4)  Sir  Simon,  who  was  knighted  in  1837  and  died 
unmarried.  The  only  daughter,  Sophia,  married 
Captain  John  O'Brien,  Royal  Navy.  The  eldest  son, 
Lieut.-Colonel  Stephen  Heward,  born  1777,  emi- 
grated to  Canada  and  commanded  the  Queen's  Ran- 
gers during  the  war  of  1 81 2.  He  married  in  Toronto, 
1806,  Mary,  daughter  of  Christopher  Robinson,  Esq., 
M.  P.  P.,  and  died  1828,  aged  51.     He  was  father  of 


Homer  Dickson  Family.  215 

William  Beverley  Reward,  who  married  Mary 
M.,  daughter  of  James  Cockburn,  Esq.,  M.  D.,  and 
had  issue  two  daughters,  (i)  Frances  Caroline,  above- 
named,  and  (2)  Mary  Ann  (Minnie),  married  James 
Henderson,  Esq.,  of  Toronto,  barrister-at-law. 


ROBINSON  1  '^^^  Hon.  Christopher  Robinson  of 
\-  Cleasby,  county  York,  England 
FAMILY.  J  (brother  of  the  Rt.  Rev.  John^Rob- 
inson,  Lord  Bishop  of  London  and  First  Plenipoten- 
tiary of  the  celebrated  Treaty  of  Utrecht  in  1713), 
was  appointed  Governor  of  Virginia,  where  he  died 
1696.  His  descendant  in  the  fourth  degree,  Chris- 
topher Robinson,  M.  P.  P.,  had  among  other  issue  a 
son,  the  Hon.  Chief  Justice  Sir  John  Beverley  Rob- 
inson, Bart.,  C.  B.  (father  of  the  late  Lieut.-Gover- 
nor  of  Ontario),  and  a  daughter  Mary,  wife  of  Lieut.- 
Col.  Stephen  Heward. 


COCKBURN  1  Alexander    Cockburn    of    that    ilk, 
V     county  Berwick,  Scotland,  was  livins: 

FAMILY.       I         ^        z        D    u      ^    r)  j 

J  tem^p.  Robert  Bruce,  and  numerous 
families  claim  descent  from  him,  two  of  whom  signed 
the  Band  of  15  71,  and  two  Lairds  are  on  the  Roll  of 
Clans  of  1590. 

James  Cockburn,  M.   D.,  Surgeon  British  Army, 
married  Dorothea,  daughter  of  Clotworthy  McKeige, 


2i6  Homer  Dicksoii  Family. 

Esq.,  and  died  at  sea  in  1819,  leaving  one  daughter, 
Mary  Margaret,  born  in  Quebec,  in  1839,  ^^^  married 
William  B.  Heward. 


McKEIGeI  Clotworthy  McKeige,  Esq.,  of  county 
V-  Antrim,  Ireland,  and  afterward  of 
■J  Halifax,  N.  S.,  and  Jamaica  Plains 
near  Boston,  Mass.,  nephew  of  Clotworthy,  Earl  of 
Massareene,*  and  a  relative  of  the  Earl  of  Ellesmere, 
married  ist,  Isabel  McDermot,  by  whom  he  had  two 
daughters,  viz.: 

1.  Frances  married  Count  Louis  dei  Pennazzi  (son 
of  Count  Louis  de'  Pennazzi  and  Princess  Pallavicini 
his  wife)  of  Parma,  Italy,  Grand  Cordon  (now  called 
Grand  Cross)  of  the  Order  of  the  Legion  of  Honour, 
Knight  of  various  Italian  Orders  and  Lord  Steward 
of  the  Duke  of  Parma.  The  Countess  died  a  widow 
at  her  county  seat  Corte  Maggiore  in  ]  874.  He  died 
1 86 1,  leaving  (with  a  daughter  Isabel,  detto  Ida,  who 
died  unmarried  in  1866,  aged  i8f)  a  son,  the  present 
Count  Louis  de'  Pennazzi,  who  married  in  1862 
Countess  Albertine  Ferrari  (ob.  1876)  and  has  issue. 

2.  Dorothea,  married  Dr.  James  Cockburn,  before 
mentioned. 


*The  Earl  died  I805,  s.  p.,  and  the  title  became  extinct  by  the 
death  of  his  brother  s.  p.  m.  The  present  Massareene  is  a  Viscount 
only. 

t  Although  christened  Isabel,  the  young  Countess  was  always 
called  Ida. 


Homei'-  Dickson  Family.  2 1 7 

He  married  secondly  Eliza  Church,  by  whom  he 
had 

1.  Massareene  William,  who  d.  s.  p.  in  Mexico, 
where  he  had  a  sugar  plantation. 

2.  Ellesmere  Edward,  married  Louise  Spinola, 
and  d.  s.  p. 

3.  Mary  Louise,  married  Ernest  B.  Schneidler, 
British  Consul  at  Cardenas,  Cuba,  and  died  a  widow 
in  1875  leaving  a  son  Charles,  now  in  Hamburgh, 
and  two  daughters,  viz.:  [I.]  Mina,  married  Louis  B. 
C.  Will,  Grand  Cross  of  the  Order  of  Isabella  the 
Catholic,  Commander  of  the  Order  of  the  Royal 
Crown  in  Prussia,  German  Consul-General  in  Cuba, 
now  residing  in  London,  and  [H.]  Nellie,  married 
Senor  Don  Ordonez  del  Campo,  and  resides  in 
Havana. 

4.  Eliza,  married  Dr.  H.  Hoyt. 

5.  Augusta,  died  young. 

Clotworthy  McKeige,  died  in  1823,  and  his  wife 
then  took  a  house  in  Beacon  street,  Boston,  but  after  a 
few  years  went  to  Parma  to  see  her  step-daughter 
and  died  there  in  1837. 

We  return  again  to  B.  Homer  Dixon,  K.  N.  L., 
who  has  issue 

1.  Thomas  Eraser  Homer,  born  1871. 

2.  William  Mayne  Homer,  born  1872. 

3.  Henry  Eugene  Homer,  born  1874,  and  three 
daughters,  viz.: 

L   Mary  Frances  Homer. 
28 


2i8  Homer  Dickson  Family. 

II.  Harriette  Kate  Macaulay  Homer. 

III.  Ida  Louise  Homer. 


Family  of  Fitz  Eugene  Dixon  (born  182 1)  of 
Philadelphia,  who  died  in  1880,  aged  58. 

1.  Alexander  James  Dallas,  born  1850,  m.  Mar- 
garetta,  daughter  of  Col.  William  Serjeant,  United 
States  Army,  son  of  the  Hon.  James  Serjeant,  M. 
C,  whose  father,  the  Hon.  J.  D.  Serjeant,  was  the 
first  Attorney-General  of  Pennsylvania  after  the 
Revolution. 

2.  Thomas  Fraser,  born  1852,  married  Emma, 
daughter  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  C.  J.  Biddle,  United 
States  Army,  and  niece  of  Hon.  Craig  Biddle,  Judge 
C.  C.  P.,  sons  of  Nicholas  Biddle,  President  of  the 
Bank  of  the  United  States. 

3.  George  Dallas,  born  1 85  7,  married  Mary  Frances 
Quincy,  daughter  of  William  H.  Allen,  Esq.,  LL.  D., 
President  of  Girard  College,  by  his  wife  Mary 
Quincy,  granddaughter  of  the  Hon.  Samuel  Quincy, 
Solicitor  General  of  Massachusetts  before  the  Revo- 
lutionary War. 

4.  Thomas  Henry,  born  1859,  married  Florence, 
daughter  of  William  Henry  Trotter,  Esq.,  of  Phila- 
delphia, retired  merchant  and  director  of  several 
banks,  trust  companies,  etc.  Of  Scotch  origin  and 
descendant  in  the  7th  degree  from  William  Trotter, 
who  settled  first  in  Essex  county,  Delaware,  but 
removed  to  Philadelphia  in  1690  and  died  there  in 
1699. 


Homer  Dickson  Family.  219 

5.   William  Boulton,  born  i860. 
And  six  daughters,  viz.: 

I.  Sophia  Dallas,  married  Francis  John  Alison, 
barrister,  son  of  Robert  Alison,  M.  D.,  grandson  of 
the  Rev.  Francis  Alison,  D.  D.,  of  Donegal,  Ireland, 
Vice  Provost  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 

II.  Mary  Homer,  married  Brigadier  General  Russell 
Thayer  (graduate  of  West  Point  Military  Academy), 
Commanding  Second  Brigade  first  division  Pennsyl- 
vania Militia,  son  of  the  Hon.  Martin  R.  Thayer, 
President  Judge,  C.  C.  P.,  of  Philadelphia. 

III.  Catharine  Eugenia,  married  Joseph  Percy 
Keating,  barrister,  son  of  William  V.  Keating,  M. 
D.,  whose  grandfather,  John  Baron  Keating,  Knight 
of  the  Order  of  St.  Louis  {ob.  1856,  aged  96)  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  after  the  first  French 
Revolution.  He  was  grandson  of  Sir  Geoffrey  Keat- 
ing, of  Adare,  county  Limerick,  who  went  to  France 
after  the  siege  of  Limerick,  and  was  created  a  Baron 
by  the  King  of  France. 

IV.  Harriette  (Rita),  married  Arthur  Emlen  New- 
bold,  barrister,  son  of  John  S.  Newbold,  Esq.,  of 
Philadelphia,  a  descendant  of  Godfred  Newbold,  of 
Newbold  Abbey,  county  York,  England,  who  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1678,  and  settled  at  Newbold's 
Island,  Delaware  River,  and  afterward  at  Mt.  Holly, 
N.  J.,  where  the  homestead  now  is. 

V.  Susan  Dallas,  married  Thomas  Wilson  Sharp- 
less,  son  of  Samuel  J.  Sharpless,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia, 
a  descendant  of  John  Sharpies  of  Sharpies,  county 


220  Ho7ner  Dickson  Family. 

Lane,  England,  who  emigrated  to  Pennsylvania  in 
1682,  and  received  a  grant  from  William  Penn,  of 
1,000  acres  of  land  in  Chester  county,  a  great  part  of 
which  is  still  owned  by  his  descendants. 

VI.  Matilda  Wilkins.  She  was  named  after  her 
aunt  Matilda  Dallas,  wife  of  the  Hon.  William  Wil- 
kins, Secretary  of  the  Navy  of  the  United  States 
America,  and  Envoy  Extraordinary  and  Minister 
Plenipotentiary  to  the  Court  of  Russia. 

Catherine  C.  Dallas,  wife  of  F,  E.  Dixon,  died  in 
1878,  36  51. 


Mr.  Dallas  Yorke,  of  Walmsgate  Park,  near  Louth, 
Line,  and  Cadogan  Place,  who  assumed  the  addi- 
tional name  of  Yorke  upon  inheriting  the  estates  of 
his  maternal  uncle  in  1856,  is  the  present  chief  of 
the  Dallas  Family.  He  was  for  some  years  Master 
of  the  Southwold  Hounds.  He  has  one  son,  born 
in  1875,  ^"^^  o^^  daughter,  who  married  His  Grace 
the  Duke  of  Portland. 


INDEX 


OF  BORDER  AND  OTHER  SCOTCH  SURNAMES. 


Affleck,  87,  103. 

Ainslie,  89,  97. 

Anstruther,  81. 

Armstrong,  7,  9,  16,  18,  23,  40,  46, 

84,   89,   90,  91,  97,  98,  99,    100, 

106,  108. 

Bar,  91. 

Batie,  Batison.  46,  84,  99,  100,  108. 

Baillie,  88,  92. ' 

Beattie,  v.  Batie. 

Bell,  46,  83,  100,  loi. 

Bennett,  89,  103. 

Bothwell,  86. 

Bowinaker,  88. 

Boyd,  106. 

Bromfield,  88,  92,  94. 

Brown,  87,  91,  103,  105. 

Burnheid,  98. 

Burnes,  96. 

Burnet,  90,  105. 

Cameron,  16. 

Campbell,  73. 

Car,  V.  Ker. 

Carlisle,  46,  83,  84,  88,  100,  loi. 

Carmichael,  9. 

Carncors,  81. 

Carruthers,  82,  84,  86,  88,  91,  105. 

Charteris,  82,  85,  91,  104. 

Chirnside,  87,  103. 

Chisholm,  86,  90,  104. 

Cockburn,  7,  87,  88,  90,  102. 

Cransfield,  83. 


Cranstoun,  7,  9,  20,  21,  90,   103, 

104,  105. 
Creighton,  83. 
Crichton,  85,  91,  104. 
Crossby,  87,  103. 
Croser,  98. 
Cumin,  27. 
Cunningham,  105. 

Dalgleish,  90,  94. 
Dalziel,  85. 
Davison,  94. 

Dickson,  7,  12,  13,  20,  21,  22,  38, 
T],  81,   88,   90,   91,   92,   93,   94, 

105,  106. 
Dinwiddie,  82,  86. 

Douglas,  9,  20,  21,  26,  30,  34,  35, 
36,  85,  86,  89,  90,  91,  93,  103,  104, 
105,  107,  108. 

Dufif,  106. 

Duns,  88. 

Edgar,  87,  103. 

Edmondstone,  89,  93. 

Eglinton,  81. 

Eliot,  7,  9,  41,  84,  89,  97,  99,  104. 

Ellame,  87,  103. 

Elphinstone,  90,  105, 

Ferguson,  91,  105. 

Eraser,    17,    27,    73,   75,   89,    103, 

106. 
French,  88. 
Froude,  90,  93,  105. 


222 


Index. 


Gasse,  loi. 

Geddes,  90,  105. 

Gilchrist,  94. 

Gillenby,  83. 

Gladstone,  7,  9,  90,  104. 

Glencors,  88. 

Glendenning,  91,  104. 

Gordon,  33,  '84,  86,  91,  104,  105,  106. 

Gradon,  88,  93,  104. 

Graham,  7,  88,  99,  100,  loi,  106. 

Grant,  16,  59. 

Grierson,  83,  85,  91,  104. 

Grymslowe,  85. 

Grin5'^slaw,  103. 

Haig,  85,  103. 

Haitlie,  88,  93,  94. 

Haliburton,  20,  72,  85,  103. 

Hall,  94. 

Halliday,  21. 

Hamilton,  81,  106. 

Hanganside,  85. 

Harris,  86,  91,  104. 

Hay,  22,  90,  105,  106. 

Henderson,  99. 

Hewitt,  88,  105. 

Home  or  Hume,  7,  20,  21,  37,  87, 

88,  91,  92,  102,  103,  106. 
Hoppringle,  85. 
Horsburgh,  105. 
Hunter,  105. 
Huntley,  92. 

Inglis,  7,  90,  91,  92,  105. 

Innerwick,  92. 

Irving,  7,  46,  82, 88,  91, 100,  loi,  105. 

Jardine,  83,  86,  88,  105,  106,  108. 
Johnes,  100. 

Johnstone,  7,  46,  80,  82,  83,  86,  88, 
105,  106,  108. 

Keith,  21,  29. 

Kerse,  91,  104. 

Ker,  7,  68,  84,  85,  86,  87,  88,  89, 

91,  92,  93,  103,  104,  107. 
Kirko,  91,  105. 
Kirkmichael,  104. 
Kirkpatrick,  83,  91,  104. 


Kirktoun,  89,  104. 
Kirton,  85. 
Knox,  105. 

Laidlaw,  97. 
Langlands,  90,  104. 
Latimer,  86. 
Lauder,  88,  93. 
Laverokstane,  91. 
Lawson,  83,  91. 
Leslie,  4I. 
Lidderdaill,  104. 
Lindsay,  91,  104,  107. 
Little,  100. 
Livingstone,  92,  104. 
Lorane,  90,  103. 
Lowis,  90. 
Lumsden,  87,  103. 
Lyle,  87,  103. 
Lynton,  85, 

MacBrair,  91. 

Macculloch,  104. 

Macdonald,  107. 

Macdougal,  85,  89,  103. 

Macdowall,  85,  89. 

Macintosh,  107. 

Maclean,  17,  81. 

Maclellan,  84,  104. 

Macleod,  17. 

Macmath,  91,  104. 

Macnaught,  104. 

Macneil,  107. 

Macrae,  107. 

Macraw,  107. 

Mader,  89,  103. 

Maitland,  91,  104. 

Maxwell,  2,  7,  21,   24,  72,  82,  83, 

85,  86,  88,  91,  104,  105,  108. 
Melville,  105. 
Menzies,  91,  104. 
Mether,  85. 
Middelmaist,  94,  105. 
Moflfatt,  83,  86. 
Morton,  91. 

Mowe  or  Mowll,  85,  89,  103. 
Morrison,  107. 
Murray,   82,  88,  90,  103,  104,  105, 

107. 


Index. 


223 


Nasmyth,  90,  106. 
Neilson,  107, 
Nisbet,  92. 
Nixon,  84,  98. 

Oliver,  97. 
Orcharton,  84. 
Ormeston,  85. 

Parke,  98. 

Penicuik,  91,  106. 

Posso,  106. 

Porteous,  105. 

Pringle,  88,  90,  91,  94,  105. 

Purdon,  88. 

Purves,  85,  88. 

Pyle,  97. 

Ramsay,  87,  88,  103. 
Reddik  or  Rerik,  104. 
Renton,  87,  92,  93,  102. 
Riddell,  85,  89,  103. 
Ridpath,  87,  92,  93,  94,  103. 
Robeson,  97. 
Rome,  83,  Id. 
Rose,  82. 
Ross,  19,  82. 
Rodyk,  104. 

Rutherford,  9,  19,  84,  85,  89,  103, 
107. 

Sandilands,  91. 


Sanquhar,  91. 

Scott,  7,  9,  12,  15,  20,  22,  40,  86, 

89,  90,  93,  99.,  103,  104,  107. 
Seton,  21,  107. 
Sinclair,  87,  103,  104. 
Sharp,  81. 
Shaw,  88. 
Sleich,  87,  103. 
Somerville,  107. 
Spottiswood,  87,  103. 
Stewart,  85,  86,  90,  103,  104,  105. 
Swinton,  87,  92,  103. 

Tate,  94. 

Thompson,  84,  100,  loi. 

Trotter,  88,  93,  95. 

Turnbull,  9,  84,  85,  86,  89,  92,  93, 

103. 
Tweedie,  90,  91,  105. 

Urquhart,  19. 

Vaitch,  90,  104.  105. 

Watson,  107. 
Williamson,  105. 
Welschaw,  98. 
Whitmore,  89. 
Wood,  49,  106. 

Young,  94. 


ERRATA. 


Page  17,  line  13,  omit  "great." 

Page  48,  line    6,  for  "  hoofs  "  read  "  houghs." 

Page  82,  line  10,  after  "  Kirkmighel  "  add  "  {Kirkpatrick ?)." 

Page  83,  line  20,  after  "  Laird  of  Cowhill  "  add  " 91." 

Page  91,  line  10,  after  "  Kirkmichael  "  add  "  {Kzrkpatrz'ck?)." 
Page  91,  line  14,  for  "  Kirks"  read  "  Kirko. " 
Page  92,  line  11,  for  "  Blacadde  "  read  "Blacadder." 
Page  92,  line  14,  for  "  Home  "  read  "  Home." 

The  following  was  accidentally  omitted  among  "  Clan  Dickson 
Families :" 

Anton's  Hill. 

John  Dickson  de  Anton's  Hill,  co.  Berwick,  served  heir  to  his 
grandfather  {avz)  John  Dicksone  de  Anton's  Hill  in  1677.  John 
Dickson  of  Anton's  Hill  was  a  writer  in  Edinburgh  in  1712,  when 
he  and  Janet  Home,  Lady  Eccles,  signed  a  joint  bond  which  was 
only  discharged  in  1724.  John  Dickson  of  Anton's  Hill  was  a  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace  in  1732.  The  last  of  this  family,  James  Dickson 
of  Anton's  Hill,  had  an  only  daughter  who  m.  the  late  General  Sir 
Martin  Hunter,  G.  C.  M.  G.,  G.  C.  H.,  of  Medomsley,  co.  Durham, 


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